New investigator: Harshraj Leuva, MBBS

This profile is part of a series to highlight the researchers who will be honored at a ceremony on Nov. 14 for UNMC’s Scientist Laureate, Research Leadership, Distinguished Scientist and New Investigator Award recipients.

• Name: Harshraj Leuva, MBBS
• Title: Assistant professor, UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology
• Joined UNMC: July 2022
• Hometown:  Ahmedabad, India

Describe your research focus in three words or less: Tumor growth rate

Why is research important in the world today? 

Our goal should be to improve patient care by providing more efficacious and less toxic treatment options. While we have made good progress in the last decade when it comes to cancer, we have a long way to go to be able to cure or treat all of our patients with minimal disruption of their lives.

My research will make a difference because:

My research focuses on improving how we measure treatment efficacy and response via novel tumor growth rate measurement method. We will be able to individualize response assessment and precisely inform patients how they are responding to the treatment while prostate cancer treatment is ongoing, which correlates with overall survival. 

I also focus on improving diversity in our clinical trials. Clinical trials should represent and enroll our community as a whole. When we conduct them correctly, the results are more applicable to our community than to a particular group.

The best advice I’ve ever received is: “Be the best in whatever you do.”

Three things you may not know about me are:

• I have a green thumb and enjoy indoor plants. At one point, I had 53 plants in a 750-square-foot apartment we lived in.
• I was a professional hip hop/pop and lock dancer.
• My colleagues say I have a good sense of humor. But it may just be my Indian accent; you will never know.