Nationally Recognized Clinical Investigator Dr. Sajeel Chowdhary Appointed as Medical Director of Neuro-Oncology at TGH Cancer Institute

As a Neuro-Oncologist dedicated to the highest standard of cancer care and Clinical Research, Dr. Chowdhary has taken a leadership role in establishing a premier Neuro-Oncology Program at Tampa General Hospital.

Tampa, FL (May 21, 2024)­ - Tampa General Hospital (TGH) and the TGH Cancer Institute are proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Sajeel Chowdhary as medical director of its Neuro-Oncology program. An esteemed medical professional with extensive experience in Neuro-oncology and Neurology, Chowdhary is also a professor in the Department of Neurology and the Division of Neuro-Oncology at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

“Dr. Chowdhary's comprehensive skill set and compassionate care in neuro-oncology, together with his impressive track record of academic productivity, made him the right fit for this leadership position, said Dr. Eduardo M. Sotomayor, vice president and executive director of the TGH Cancer Institute. “Through his expertise, and his comprehensive care focusing on the patient as a whole, Dr. Chowdhary is building a premier neuro-oncology program and speeding up the expansion of services for patients with brain and spinal tumors as well as providing patients with access to the latest treatments and innovative clinical research.”

Chowdhary is familiar with the Tampa Bay region. In addition to being on faculty with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, he was a neuro-oncologist and neurologist at Tampa General and with Moffitt Cancer Center from 2004-2009.

Before rejoining Tampa General in 2023, Chowdhary held several prestigious positions, serving as the director of Medical Neuro-Oncology and Neurology at both the Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Baptist Health South Florida’s Boca Raton Regional Hospital and the Lynn Cancer Institute, with several locations in Palm Beach County. He has also served as the program director of Neuro-Oncology and Neurology at Advent Health Cancer Institute and an associate professor of Neuro-Oncology and Neurology at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Throughout his career, Chowdhary has always taken a multispecialty approach to the care of patients with CNS tumors (abnormal cells in the tissues of the brain and/or spinal cord), by bringing together neuropathologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, neuropsychologists and more to advance patient care and clinical research.

“As a leading expert in the field of neuro-oncology, with a wealth of academic contributions that have advanced the field’s understanding of brain cancers, Dr. Chowdhary has played a vital role in guiding over 30 clinical trials focused on glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and other brain cancers,” said Dr. Clifton Gooch, chief, TGH Neuroscience Institute; co-vice president, Clinical and Translational Research, TGH-USF Health Office of Clinical Research; associate dean, Clinical Research, TGH Endowed Chair of Neurology, professor and chair of the Department of Neurology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “He has also presented at many research and advisory board conferences and collaborated with dozens of other neuro-oncologists, building a network of trusted colleagues. All of this serves to strengthen our position as a leading academic health system bringing the latest advances to our cancer patients across the state.”

Additionally, Chowdhary has supervised residents and mentored the next generation of medical professionals in neuro-oncology. He has been cited in numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, editorials and manuscripts, attesting to the high quality of his academic work and his impact on the field.

“Through our combination of advanced clinical research with a multidisciplinary approach that focuses on the needs of the whole patient, the TGH Cancer Institute and the TGH Neuroscience Institute continue to raise the bar for breakthroughs in cancer treatment,” Chowdhary said. “I am committed to continuing to provide potentially life-saving treatments for our patients.”

Chowdhary earned his medical degree and Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from King Edward Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan, and his Bachelor of Science from the University of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. He completed his internship at Thomas Jefferson University, Frankford Hospital, Philadelphia and his Residency in Neurology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio and Weston, Florida. At the University of Calgary, Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Chowdhary did a fellowship in Neuro-Oncology.

He is a member of numerous professional associations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Neurology, the Society of Neuro-Oncology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Brain Tumor Association, the Florida Brain Tumor Association, the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, the RTOG Foundation and the NRG Oncology Clinical Trials Network, among others.

“Dr. Chowdhary’s academic contributions have earned him a well-deserved reputation as a leading authority in neuro-oncology,” said Dr. Abraham Schwarzberg, executive vice president, chief of Oncology, president of the Tampa General Provider Network (TGPN) and co-vice president of Clinical and Translational Research, TGH -USF Health Office of Clinical Research. “This will help pave the way for incorporating new clinical trials that advance cancer treatment and provide world-class care to our patients.”

Through the TGH Cancer Institute, Tampa General and USF Health physicians offer a highly coordinated, interdisciplinary approach to treating each patient as a whole person and providing a wide range of multidisciplinary specialties such as hematologic malignancies, bone marrow transplant, cell therapy, neuro-oncology, thoracic oncology, breast, colorectal and gynecologic oncology. Advanced subspecialties include liver and hepatobiliary oncology, otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat), and genitourinary (reproductive system and genitourinary tract).

For more information about the TGH Cancer Institute, visit www.tgh.org/cancer.