Rachna T. Shroff, MD, MS, joined the faculty of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson in April 2018 as an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, and chief of the Section of GI Medical Oncology at the UA Cancer Center.
She was previously an assistant and then associate professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where she specialized in pancreatic and biliary cancers. While on faculty, she helped build one of the largest clinical and research programs in biliary tract malignancies in the country. Dr. Shroff also served as the quality officer for the GI Medical Oncology Department where she developed an interest in patient safety and quality.
Dr. Shroff has been a member of the ASCO Scientific Committee, Noncolorectal Track, as well as the ASCO Gastrointestinal Guidelines Advisory Group. She participates in the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) GI Committee, and the NCI Hepatobiliary Taskforce being the national Principal Investigator on SWOG 1815. She is also involved in the International Cholangiocarcinoma Research Network (ICRN) where she participates in the Novel Targets Working Group.
Dr. Shroff completed her fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she simultaneously obtained a master's degree at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. She did her residency in internal medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, serving also as chief resident at the VA Hospital there. Dr. Shroff earned her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. She obtained her bachelor's degree in biochemistry and graduated with honors from Brown University.
Dr. Shroff grew up in Tucson and is a 1996 graduate of The Gregory School.
Dr. Shroff has focused her career on clinical and translational research in gastrointestinal malignancies. She has been principal investigator on a number of trials in pancreatic and biliary cancers. She has established herself as a leading expert in biliary cancer and is the national P.I. on a pivotal, phase III study through SWOG in this disease. Dr. Shroff has authored many peer-reviewed publications in these areas and she has been invited to give multiple platform presentations on pancreatic and biliary cancers across the world. In addition, she is the leader of the Gastrointestinal (GI) Oncology Disease Oriented Team at the UA Cancer Center. This comprehensive program includes weekly multidisciplinary tumor board meetings, bi-monthly research meetings, and research collaborations with the Developmental Therapeutics/Phase 1 Program. She currently serves as the Associate Dean of Clinical and Translational Research for the College of Medicine. She also has leadership roles as the Medical Director for both the Clinical Trials Office and Arizona Clinical Trials Network (ACTN) in the University of Arizona Cancer Center. She also has previously served serves as the chair of the UACC Data Safety and Monitoring Board given her experience with trial design and safety. Her vision for the Section of GI Medical Oncology is to continue providing cutting-edge multidisciplinary care while developing a clinical trial portfolio that offers novel therapeutic options for all patients with GI malignancies.