Jason A Willis, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Gastrointestinal (GI) Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Genomic Medicine, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2014 | Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA, MD, Medicine |
| 2013 | Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA, PHD, Physiology, Biophysics and Systems Biology |
| 2004 | Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA, BA, Biochemistry |
Postgraduate Training
| 2016-2019 | Clinical Fellowship, Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
| 2014-2016 | Clinical Residency, Internal Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD |
Board Certifications
| 2019 | Medical Oncology |
| 2018 | Internal Medicine |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Instructor, Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, Division of OVP, Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2019 - 2020
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Chief Fellow, Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Training Program, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2018 - 2019
Honors & Awards
| 2019 | Conquer Cancer Foundation Merit Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology |
| 2019 | Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital 3rd Year Fellow of the Year Award, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2019 | Humanitas Award, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2018 | Rising Star in Oncology, Society for Translational Oncology |
| 2017 | Clifton D. Howe Award for Clinical Excellence, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2002 | Cynthia Cox Memorial Award, Occidental College |
| 2002 | Eileen L. Norris Research Fellowship, Occidental College |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Chang E, Wong FCL, Chasen BA, Erwin WD, Das P, Holliday EB, Koong AC, Ludmir EB, Minsky BD, Noticewala SS, Smith GL, Taniguchi CM, Rodriguez MJ, Beddar S, Martin-Paulpeter RM, Niedzielski JS, Sawakuchi GO, Schueler E, Perles LA, Xiao L, Szklaruk J, Park PC, Dasari AN, Kaseb AO, Kee BK, Lee SS, Overman MJ, Willis JA, Wolff RA, Tzeng CD, Vauthey JN, Koay EJ. Phase I Trial of SPECT-Guided Liver-Directed Radiotherapy for Patients with Low Functional Liver Volume. JNCI Cancer Spectr. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38730548.
- Yousef A, Yousef M, Chowdhury S, Abdilleh K, Knafl M, Edelkamp P, Alfaro-Munoz K, Chacko R, Peterson J, Smaglo BG, Wolff RA, Pant S, Lee MS, Willis J, Overman M, Doss S, Matrisian L, Hurd MW, Snyder R, Katz MHG, Wang H, Maitra A, Shen JP, Zhao D. Impact of KRAS mutations and co-mutations on clinical outcomes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. NPJ Precis Oncol 8(1):27, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38310130.
- Johnson B, Morris V, Wang X, Dasari A, Raghav K, Shen JP, Lee MS, Huey R, Parseghian C, Willis J, Wolff R, Drusbosky LM, Overman MJ, Kopetz S. Comprehensive Landscape of BRAF Variant Classes, Clonalities, and Co-Mutations in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Using ctDNA Profiling. Cancers (Basel) 16(4), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38398128.
- Simmons K, Thomas JV, Ludford K, Willis JA, Higbie VS, Raghav KPS, Johnson B, Dasari A, Kee BK, Parseghian CM, Lee MS, Le PH, Morelli MP, Shen JP, Bent A, Vilar E, Wolff RA, Kopetz S, Overman MJ, Morris VK. Sustained Disease Control in Immune Checkpoint Blockade Responders with Microsatellite Instability-high Colorectal Cancer after Treatment Termination. Cancer Res Commun 3(12):2510-2517, 2023. PMID: 38085001.
- Napolitano S, Parikh AR, Henry J, Parseghian CM, Willis J, Raghav KP, Morris VK, Johnson B, Kee BK, Dasari AN, Overman MJ, Luthra R, Drusbosky LM, Corcoran RB, Kopetz S, Sun R. Novel Clinical Tool to Estimate Risk of False-Negative KRAS Mutations in Circulating Tumor DNA Testing. JCO Precis Oncol 7:e2300228, 2023. PMID: 37824798.
- Willis JA, Overman MJ. Inducing Hypermutability to Promote Anti-PD-1 Therapy Response. Cancer Discov 12(7):1612-1614, 2022. PMID: 35791694.
- Willis J, Lefterova MI, Artyomenko A, Kasi PM, Nakamura Y, Mody K, Catenacci DVT, Fakih M, Barbacioru C, Zhao J, Sikora M, Fairclough SR, Lee H, Kim KM, Kim ST, Kim J, Gavino D, Benavides M, Peled N, Nguyen T, Cusnir M, Eskander RN, Azzi G, Yoshino T, Banks KC, Raymond VM, Lanman RB, Chudova DI, Talasaz A, Kopetz S, Lee J, Odegaard JI. Validation of Microsatellite Instability Detection Using a Comprehensive Plasma-Based Genotyping Panel. Clin Cancer Res 25(23):7035-7045, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31383735.
- Chang K, Willis JA, Reumers J, Taggart MW, San Lucas FA, Thirumurthi S, Kanth P, Delker DA, Hagedorn CH, Lynch PM, Ellis LM, Hawk ET, Scheet PA, Kopetz S, Arts J, Guinney J, Dienstmann R, Vilar E. Colorectal premalignancy is associated with consensus molecular subtypes 1 and 2. Ann Oncol 29(10):2061-2067, 2018. PMID: 30412224.
- Willis JA, Mukherjee S, Orlow I, Viale A, Offit K, Kurtz RC, Olson SH, Klein RJ. Genome-wide analysis of the role of copy-number variation in pancreatic cancer risk. Front Genet 5:29, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24592275.
- Willis JA, Olson SH, Orlow I, Mukherjee S, McWilliams RR, Kurtz RC, Klein RJ. A replication study and genome-wide scan of single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with pancreatic cancer risk and overall survival. Clin Cancer Res 18(14):3942-51, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22665904.
- Berezikov E, Chung WJ, Willis J, Cuppen E, Lai EC. Mammalian mirtron genes. Mol Cell 28(2):328-36, 2007. PMID: 17964270.
- Tringe SG, Willis J, Liberatore KL, Ruby SW. The WTM genes in budding yeast amplify expression of the stress-inducible gene RNR3. Genetics 174(3):1215-28, 2006. e-Pub 2006. PMID: 16980392.
Abstracts
- Willis, JA. "Exploring the Genetic Basis of Lynch-like Syndrome Through Paired Germline and Tumor Exome Sequencing". Presidential Plenary Abstract Session, 2019 Annual Meeting of Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer (CCGA-IGC), 2019.
- Willis J, Mork ME, Chang K, Kinnison J, Rodriguez-Bigas MA, Thirumurthi S, Borras E, Taggart M, Lynch PM, You YN, Vilar Sanchez E. Exploring the genetic basis of Lynch-like syndrome through paired germlike and tumor exome sequencing. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2019.
- Willis J, Morelli MP, Morris VK, Loree J, Lam M, Pereia AA, Raghav KP, Kee BK, Vilar Sanchez E, Eng C, Manuel S, Crosby S, Wolff RA, Lanman RB, Talasaz A, Janku F, Overman MJ, Kopetz S. Impact of microsatellite instability (MSI) on tumor clonal evolution in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2018.
- Willis JA, Olsen SH, Mukherjee S, Gonen M, Kurtz RC, KLein RJ,. "A replication study and genomewide scan of a single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with pancreatic cancer risk and overall survival.". 12th International Congress of Human Genetics, 2011.
- Willis JA, Olson SH, Kurtz RC, Klein RJ. "Excess Germline Copy Number Variations Detected in Familial Pancreatic Cancer". 60th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, 2010.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | Assessment of germline and sporadic molecular profiles of non-Caucasian early onset colorectal cancer”, MD Anderson SPORE in Gastrointestinal Cancer: Career Enhancement Program |
| Funding Source: | MD Anderson SPORE |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified May 22, 2024