RESEARCH

Hematology and oncology research

Large database analysis, meta-analysis, cancer outcomes, and treatment safety. Research interests include drug development and early-phase clinical trials.

MENTORSHIP

Research mentorship

I am grateful to Dr. Thein and Dr. Shanshal for teaching me the foundations of clinical research and guiding our collaborative projects. Their mentorship continues to shape how I develop research questions, analyze evidence, and interpret findings.

Dr. Thein

Kyaw Zin Thein, MD

Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada · Las Vegas, Nevada

Dr. Thein is a hematologist and medical oncologist whose clinical and research interests include head and neck, thyroid, genitourinary, and rare cancers. His work centers on precision oncology, investigational therapeutics, and early-phase clinical trials, including phase I drug development.

Dr. Thein completed advanced training in investigational cancer therapeutics at MD Anderson Cancer Center and previously co-led the phase I clinical trials program at Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute. His research explores biomarker-driven treatment strategies and novel therapeutic combinations.

View Dr. Thein’s profile

Dr. Shanshal

Mohamed Shanshal, MD

Vanderbilt University Medical Center · Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Dr. Shanshal is Assistant Professor of Medicine and Clinical Director of Thoracic Oncology at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. His clinical focus includes lung cancer, thymoma, mesothelioma, and other thoracic malignancies, with research interests in early-phase drug development and novel cancer therapeutics.

Following advanced training in thoracic oncology and drug development at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Shanshal contributed to first-in-human studies and translational research in nano-oncology. His work includes cellular therapies and microfluidic tumor models to investigate targeted drug delivery and new treatment strategies.

View Dr. Shanshal’s profile

Daniel Jones with research mentors Dr. Kyaw Zin Thein and Dr. Mohamed Shanshal at ASCO

11Full-length manuscripts4 first-author

240Published / accepted abstracts26 first-author

143Poster presentations27 first-author

2Oral presentationsCollaborative work

6Case reports2 first-author

Manuscripts, abstracts, case reports, and presentations are reported separately. Categories overlap and are not a combined publication total.

PRESENTATIONS & COLLABORATION

Sharing research with the oncology community

RESEARCH FOCUS

Research focus

I design studies and write analysis code, collaborating with physician investigators to connect clinical questions with rigorous methods.

National database research

I use large national datasets, including inpatient and readmission databases, to examine outcomes across cancer populations. Studies focus on mortality, complications, hospital utilization, access to treatment, and differences in the delivery of care.

Study design and statistics

My work begins with a clinical question, a carefully defined cohort, and reproducible analysis code. Statistical analyses compare patient groups while accounting for measured differences in illness, comorbidities, and hospital characteristics. The goal is to distinguish meaningful clinical signals from patterns that may reflect the structure or limitations of the data.

Cancer emergencies and failure-to-rescue

A central interest is what happens after patients with cancer develop serious complications. This work examines inpatient vulnerability, escalation of care, and whether hospital capabilities are associated with survival following high-risk oncologic emergencies.

Treatment safety and evidence synthesis

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses bring together findings from clinical trials to examine treatment benefit and toxicity. Areas of interest include targeted therapies, immunotherapies, hematologic malignancies, and complications that may influence treatment selection and monitoring.

Risk prediction and artificial intelligence

The statistical associations and outcome estimates in this research can inform the selection of variables, benchmarks, and clinical questions for AI-based risk models. These models aim to estimate the likelihood of outcomes such as complications, readmission, or mortality. An association in a population study does not by itself establish an individual patient’s risk.

Novel therapies and clinical trials

My research interests also include tumor-agnostic therapeutics, drug development, and phase I clinical trials. I am interested in connecting population-level evidence and treatment safety research with the clinical evaluation of new cancer therapies.

From research findings to a clinical risk model

Clinical question defined patient population statistical analysis independent validation evaluation in clinical practice.

AI-assisted prediction requires testing for discrimination, calibration, bias, and performance in new patient populations. My published outcome estimates contribute evidence to this process; they are not a validated bedside risk calculator.

AWARDS

2026 Conquer Cancer Merit Award

ASCO Quality Care Symposium

Awarded for “The Oncology Capability Gap: Failure-to-Rescue Following High-Risk Oncologic Emergencies in the United States” (Abstract 525).

Award, research and news coverage

PUBLICATIONS

Selected publications

Selected full-length work, with direct links to the publication record.

Cancers · 2026

Evaluating Tissue-Agnostic Approvals in Thoracic and Head and Neck Malignancies

View publication Oncology Research · 2026 · Accepted

Toxicities of Fruquintinib in Gastrointestinal Malignancies: Evidence From Randomized Trials

View publication Exploration of Targeted Anti-tumor Therapy · 2025

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Phase III Randomized Controlled Trials to Assess the Risk of Pneumonia, URTIs, and VTE in Multiple Myeloma Patients Treated with Isatuximab

View publication Oncology Research · 2025

Advances in Tissue-agnostic Targeting in Cancer Therapeutics: Current Approvals, Challenges, and Future Directions

View publication

Conference abstracts in major journals

My research record also includes conference abstracts in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Blood, and Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. These are listed separately from full-length manuscripts.

News and interviews

East Idaho News

EDITORIAL SERVICE

Research Reviewer

I serve as an invited peer reviewer for medical and scientific journals, with a focus on oncology, hematology, treatment safety, and clinical outcomes.

Evaluating the evidence

My reviewing work involves evaluating research questions, study design, statistical methods, interpretation of results, and the clinical relevance of submitted research. It complements my work in national database analysis and evidence synthesis.

Journals

JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics
European Journal of Haematology
Frontiers in Immunology
Frontiers in Oncology
Frontiers in Pharmacology
Cancer Medicine
Journal of Inflammation Research
Frontiers in Bioscience–Landmark
Clinical Interventions in Aging
OncoTargets and Therapy
Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology
Cancer Management and Research
AME Clinical Trials Review
World Journal of Oncology

View reviewer profile

Hematology and oncology research

Research mentorship

Dr. Thein

Dr. Shanshal

Sharing research with the oncology community

Research focus

National database research

Study design and statistics

Cancer emergencies and failure-to-rescue

Treatment safety and evidence synthesis

Risk prediction and artificial intelligence

Novel therapies and clinical trials

From research findings to a clinical risk model

2026 Conquer Cancer Merit Award

Selected publications

Evaluating Tissue-Agnostic Approvals in Thoracic and Head and Neck Malignancies

Toxicities of Fruquintinib in Gastrointestinal Malignancies: Evidence From Randomized Trials

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Phase III Randomized Controlled Trials to Assess the Risk of Pneumonia, URTIs, and VTE in Multiple Myeloma Patients Treated with Isatuximab

Advances in Tissue-agnostic Targeting in Cancer Therapeutics: Current Approvals, Challenges, and Future Directions

Conference abstracts in major journals

News and interviews

Rexburg local wins prestigious award for high-tech cancer research

Rexburg man wins prestigious award for high-tech cancer research

2026 Conquer Cancer Merit Award

Interviews with Outstanding Authors (2026)

Bridging Clinical Research and Oncology Innovation

Research, Resilience, and Mentorship in Oncology

Kyaw Zin Thein: Oncology Research, Mentorship, and Global Collaboration

MPH Generalist Cohort 6 Bio Book

Research Reviewer

Evaluating the evidence

Journals

Professional profiles