Nationally Recognized Radiation Oncologist Joins USF Health, Tampa General Hospital

Dr. Richard Tuli joins Tampa Bay’s leading academic medical center to provide comprehensive patient care and lead innovative clinical research trials.

Tampa, FL (January 12, 2021) – Nationally recognized radiation oncologist and researcher Richard Tuli, MD, PhD, has joined the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine and Tampa General Hospital, where he will pursue cutting-edge treatments that offer comprehensive and personalized care to patients.

Tuli comes to Tampa from New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, an internationally renowned and National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center where he was director of Developmental Therapeutics. In Tampa, he is the chief of Radiation Oncology and vice chair of the Department of Radiology at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. He also is the medical director of Radiation Oncology and director of Oncology Research at Tampa General.

“Dr. Tuli brings a wealth of clinical and research experience to the USF Health Department of Radiology. His expertise and leadership will help USF Health advance clinical care and clinical research to ensure pioneering innovative treatments for our patients,” said Charles Lockwood, MD, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

Tuli will help Tampa General Hospital continue to deliver innovative world-class care for cancer patients, said TGH President and CEO John Couris.

“We welcome Dr. Tuli as a research and patient care leader at Tampa General,” Couris said. “He will be a vital part of our plans to offer the best and newest radiation choices and to grow our services and locations for our patients as part of a comprehensive program for personalized, world-class cancer care.”

For Dr. Tuli, the new venture will allow him the opportunity to offer a complete and custom cancer plan for each patient.   

“We’re not just treating the cancer, we’re treating the patient holistically,” he said. “It’s really about being able to provide a personal connection. This hospital has been an integral part of this community for a long time and we are providing a comprehensive program that includes technology, expertise and multi-disciplinary teams.”

Tuli also plans to continue his research efforts, in addition to serving as a research leader, at TGH and USF Health.

“I really hope to contribute to moving the scientific needle so we can discover better treatments for our patients,” he said. “I have a deep interest in research and hope to grow the clinical research program and am already connecting with colleagues across the Morsani College of Medicine and Tampa General Hospital.”

Tuli earned his MD and PhD from Thomas Jefferson University while also completing a prestigious National Cancer Institute pre-doctoral fellowship. He went on to serve his residency at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he also served as chief resident.

Tuli serves on the editorial board and as radiation oncology editor for the journals Annals of Pancreatic Cancer, Journal of Pancreatology, and Frontiers in Oncology. Before joining Memorial Sloan-Kettering, he was the clinical director of Radiation Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and led the Gastrointestinal Research program. He has received millions research funding dollars, including grants from the National Institutes of Health to study pancreatic and rectal cancers. He has published over 100 academic journal articles and book chapters and serves on national cancer committees for the NCI and others.

In coming to TGH, Tuli joins a cancer care program already recognized as being in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News also has named TGH as in the top 10% of U.S. hospitals for colon cancer surgeries and one of the top 8 hospitals in Florida. TGH is the leading provider of cancer surgeries in Hillsborough County and the market leader for highly complex cancer surgeries in the 12-county region.

This year, Tampa General has expanded its cancer care program by creating a new alliance with Cancer Center of South Florida at two locations in Palm Beach County. The hospital also has expanded its surgical oncology programs, adding new sub-specialized surgeons and new patient services, such as genetic counseling and a palliative care outpatient program.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1006-bed non-profit academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region’s only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report’s 2020-21 Best Hospitals, and one of the top 4 hospitals in Florida, with five specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. It is one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital’s footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health and 19 outpatient Radiology Centers. Tampa Bay residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track.  As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost.  For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

ABOUT USF HEALTH
USF Health's mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the Taneja College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, and USF Health’s multispecialty physicians group. The University of South Florida is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success. Over the past 10 years, no other public university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News & World Report’s national university rankings than USF. For more information, visit health.usf.edu