William Hwang

About William Hwang

I am an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School, Associate Director of the Radiation Biology & Research Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center, Principal Investigator of the Laboratory for Spatial and Systems Oncology (LaSSO) at the Center for Systems Biology and Center for Cancer Research, Attending Physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology Gastrointestinal Service at MGH, and Associate Faculty Member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. I have had a long-standing interest in the immense temporal and spatial heterogeneity of biological systems and the many insights that can only be gleaned by studying systems at the level of their individual components—single molecules or cells. My laboratory is focused on studying tumor-stroma interactions in gastrointestinal malignancies at unprecedented resolution through the development and application of techniques in advanced microscopy, single-cell and spatial biology, and genetic engineering to patient-derived specimens, stromal tumoroids, and mouse models. I am particularly interested in elucidating the (1) mechanisms of therapeutic resistance mediated by cancer cell-stromal interactions in the tumor microenvironment;(2) cell state plasticity involved in tumorigenesis and therapeutic resistance; and (3) mechanisms of tumor-nerve interactions, which are remarkably important in the pathogenesis of many cancers but poorly understood. My research has resulted in more than 40 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals including Nature, Cell, Nature Genetics, Nature Nanotechnology, Lancet Oncology and JAMA Oncology; two provisional patents (63/069,035, 63/346,670); and several awards including the Martha Gray Prize for Excellence in Research, Seidman Prize for Outstanding Thesis, summa cum laude graduation honors from Harvard Medical School, MGH Clinical Research Award, William Shipley Research Award, ASCO/CCF Young Investigator Award, MIT Koch Institute Image Award, AACR NextGen Star, Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award for Medical Scientists, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Career Development Award, 40 under 40 in Cancer – Rising Stars and Emerging Leaders, Sir William Osler Young Investigator Award, and Abeloff V Scholar Award.

Experience

1. Attending Physician

   Massachusetts General Hospital

   Jul 2020 — Present

Education

• Harvard Medical School and MIT (Health Sciences and Technology Program)

  Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Medicine

  2008 — 2015

• University of Oxford

  MSc, Chemistry

  2006 — 2008

• Harvard University

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Biophysics

  2010 — 2013

• Duke University

  BSE, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Physics

  2002 — 2006

Skills

• Healthcare
• Epidemiology
• Cell Biology
• Higher Education
• Research
• Community Outreach
• Nonprofits
• Science
• Biochemistry
• Public Health
• Cancer
• Global Health
• Data Analysis
• Biophysics
• Leadership
• Neuroscience
• Life Sciences
• Medical Education
• Program Management
• Electrophysiology
• Medicine
• Clinical Research
• Teaching
• Entrepreneurship
• Cancer Research
• Cell Culture
• Molecular Biology
• Lifesciences