Premal H. Thaker, MD, MS, an accomplished clinician investigator and Director of Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Trials, has been named the David & Lynn Mutch Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
©Photo by Jerry Naunheim Jr.
“We are truly fortunate to have Dr. Thaker as a valued member of our faculty. Her outstanding contributions to patient care, clinical and translational research, and training the next generation of students, residents and fellows, make her the ideal recipient of this tremendous honor,” said Dineo Khabele, MD, Chair of the Department of OB/GYN.
Dr. Thaker completed a combined BSc/MD program at Villanova University, followed by her M.D. degree at Allegheny University in Philadelphia. She completed her residency in OB/GYN at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and her fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. She then spent 2 months at Charite Universitatsmedzin Berlin to master laparoscopic lymph node dissection under Dr. Achim Schneider.
In 2006, Dr. Thaker was recruited by Dr. David Mutch to Washington University as an Assistant Professor. She rose through the academic ranks and was promoted to Professor in 2018. Over the years, she has built a robust and high-volume gynecologic oncology practice that offers complex laparoscopic, robotic, and open surgical procedures as well as state-of-the art chemotherapy and targeted therapies. In recognition of her outstanding patient care, she has been consistently named to the St. Louis Best Doctor’s list since 2013 and Castle Connolly since 2021.
“I am excited for Dr. Thaker to be the inaugural David and Lynn Mutch Distinguished Professor. Dr. Thaker embodies the tripartite mission of patient care, teaching and research and for that reason is the ideal person to represent the spirit of this Chair”
David G. Mutch, MD.
Dr. Thaker is best recognized for her expertise in conducting clinical trials in the field of gynecologic oncology. She was appointed to be the Director of Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Research in 2018. Based on her accomplishments, her role has been elevated to the highest levels of leadership within the department of OB/GYN. Under her leadership, WashU has been in the top 5 for LAPS and GOG-Partners for clinical trial accrual. She has been the national PI of two GOG clinical trials (76HH and 9928), 4 national pharmaceutical trials (2 with Celsion/Immunon, 1 Zentalis, 1 Genelux) and 3 investigator-initiated trials. She is the Chair of the Early Business Development for GOG-Partners since 2021 and have led the efforts of the Association of Community Cancer Centers to educate the greater Medical Oncology community about ideal ovarian cancer care leading to a “white paper” in Cancer 2022. She also represents the Siteman Cancer Center on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines committee for ovarian cancer which is an alliance of 33 leading cancer centers that convenes world-renowned experts to create national clinical practice guidelines.
This professorship is funded by a generous gift from Elizabeth Mannen Berges and Jim Berges who are longtime supporters of Washington University and Siteman Cancer Center.
“Since I was recruited by Dr. Mutch after completing my fellowship at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, I am very humbled, honored, and delighted to be the inaugural David G. and Lynn Mutch Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. I would like to thank the Berges Family Foundation for their support in honoring Dr. Mutch who is the epitome of the tripartite mission: research, education, and patient care. I am privileged that I have been selected to continue his legacy and vision to strengthen our ability to advance new treatments with clinical trials, to educate the next generation of leaders, and to treat gynecologic oncology patients with compassion and grace”.
Premal Thaker, MD, MS
Additionally, Dr. Thaker is also an accomplished clinician investigator in translational research. She is part of a collaborative R01 that explored biobehavioral influences such as social isolation on ovarian cancer progression. This work began during her fellowship at MD Anderson and resulted in a landmark publication in 2006 in Nature Medicine titled “Chronic stress promotes tumor growth and angiogenesis in a mouse model of ovarian carcinoma”. This collaborative research has resulted in 24 articles in prominent journals such as Cancer, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Brain, Behavior and Immunity. She was also part of the Endometrial SPORE (2009-2012), evaluating ERK signaling in endometrial cancer and potential for therapeutic targeting. She continues to engage in translational research evaluating stress on ovarian cancer immunology with her colleague Dr. Melanie Flint at University of Brighton in the United Kingdom. This work was published by their mutual graduate student Marta Falcinelli, PhD in Brain, Behavior and Immunity in 2023. She has published over 190 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 9 reviews, and 11 chapters and has an H-score of 36. She has presented her work nationally and internationally.
Since joining the faculty at WashU, Dr. Thaker has shown a strong commitment to education. She has mentored countless medical students, residents, fellows, and faculty. To extend her knowledge and skills, she contributes to continuing medical educational programs locally, nationally, and internationally.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Thaker on her well-deserved appointment.