Chi (Kevin) Zhang, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, UNMC Department of Radiation Oncology
Director, Clinical Medical Physics
Full member, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center
Chi (Kevin) Zhang, MD, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology of the UNMC College of Medicine. He has been an attending physician and research scientist in radiation oncology since 2015 after completing his medical degree and PhD training. He provides clinical care through UNMC's primary clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine. His clinical practice is focused on primary and metastatic central nervous system tumors in the brain and spine, as well as on lung cancer.
He provides 3D and intensity modulated radiation therapy for central nervous system malignancies including glioblastoma, anaplastic astrocytoma/oligodendroglioma, low grade glioma, ependymoma, adult medulloblastoma, brain/spine metastasis, and benign central nervous system tumors including meningioma, schwannoma, pituitary adenoma, hemangioblastoma, hemangiopericytoma, craniopharyngioma, paragangliomas at base of skull or glomus jugulare, etc.
Dr. Zhang provides radiation therapy with IMRT and stereotactic body radiation therapy techniques for lung cancer at early stages, and stereotactic radiosurgery for selected brain and spine tumors, trigeminal neuralgia and arteriovenous malformation using frameless or frame-based approaches.
- Allied Health Education: Texas A&M University, 2002
- Medical School: Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 2010
- Internship: Jackson Memorial Hospital, 2011
- Residency: Radiation Oncology, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, 2015
- Hospital Appointments: Nebraska Medicine
- Clinic Locations: Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center
Dr. Zhang is leading a basic research/translational research laboratory searching for radiosensitizer/protector/immunomodulatory drugs treating glioblastoma in cultured cells and in syngeneic orthotopic animal models. He is particularly interested in repurposing drugs for glioblastoma treatment, developing nanoparticle drugs and exosome-mediated delivery for enhancedcentral nervous system penetration focusing on nanoformulation drugs for their potential clinical applications treating glioblastoma and neurocognitive protection.
He is principal investigator on investigator-initiated clinical trials including a funded trial combing hypofractionated radiation therapy boost concurrently with immunotherapy in stage III NSCLC patients after definitive chemoradiation therapy. The aim of the study is to test the potential synergistic immunostimulatory effects by combining the immunogenic dosing of radiation therapy and the immune checkpoint blockade to improve the outcome of cancer treatment.
- American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology