Loretta J. Nastoupil, MD

The focus of Dr. Nastoupil’s research has been on examining disparities in lymphoma survival to identify opportunities to design and implement rational clinical trials aimed at improving outcomes for high-risk patients. She has completed analyses using large databases in follicular lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) identifying characteristics that predict for inferior outcomes. Her early efforts in this arena identified disparities in the use of potentially-curative, chemo-immunotherapy in the treatment of DLBCL patients. This study demonstrated that race and insurance status were associated with significant differences in the administration of chemo-immunotherapy among US patients with DLBCL. This sparked Dr. Nastoupil’s interest in pursuing divergent approaches for addressing these disparities. She has conducted translational work, molecularly profiling tumors of patients with DLBCL to identify biologic variances that may explain the racial differences in DLBCL at presentation and differences in survival. Dr. Nastoupil is the director of the Lymphoma Outcomes Database at MDACC with prospective data collection linked to a tissue repository and continue exploration of predictors of lymphomagenesis and outcomes. This work informs clinical trial designs in her work. She is also experienced in conducting clinical trials in patients with lymphoma and has served as Principal Investigator in phase I, II, and III clinical trials including several investigator-initiated studies. Dr. Nastoupil has expertise and demonstrated proficiency in regards to patient care, safety, and coordination of numerous research and administrative staff.