JONATHAN DAVID TWARD portrait
  • Professor, Radiation Oncology Som
801-581-2396
http://rad-onc.net

Biography

Jonathan Tward, MD, Ph.D., is a tenured Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology. He is recognized as a major authority and key-opinion leader in treating prostate, bladder, and penile cancers. He holds the The Vincent P. and Janet Mancini Presidential Endowed Chair at Huntsman Cancer Institute in Genitourinary Malignancies. Tward is the leader of the Huntsman Cancer Institute's (HCI) Genitourinary Cancers Center (GUCC), coordinating the activities of its approximately 100 members who represent 45 of the University of Utah or HCI Departments or Colleges, and 21 Interdisciplinary Programs. As the leader, Tward is responsible for the strategic vision of the GUCC, and its operations, by directing multidisciplinary collaboration of patient care, community engagement, research, and donor relations. Tward also serves as the physician lead on several operational committees and working groups within the Department of Radiation Oncology.

Dr. Tward is an expert at delivering highly precise and targeted radiation therapy to people afflicted with cancers of the prostate, bladder, kidney, testis, and penis. He uses the vast array of technologies available at the HCI to deliver intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), as well as low-dose-rate (LDR) and high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy.

As a practicing physician and scientist, mentor, and educator, Tward has contributed to over 80 published-peer reviewed journal articles. He is the Principal Investigator (PI) on several ongoing investigator-initiated clinical trials and is the site PI on numerous cooperative group or industry-sponsored clinical trials. Tward has received grant funding for his research interests which include "Big Data" analytics, diagnostic biomarker development, comparative effectiveness outcomes studies, and clinical trials. Tward serves as the Utah State Captain for the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and is a strong advocate for cancer patients through federal and state advocacy efforts with Utah's elected federal representatives. He serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Networks (NCCN) clinical practice guidelines committees for prostate, bladder, and penile cancers. These clinical practice guidelines are internationally recognized standards for clinical direction and policy in cancer care. As a member of the NCCN Framework for Resource Stratification subcommittees, Tward helps define appropriate cancer treatment pathways of low- and middle-resource countries where specific diagnostic tests or treatment approaches may be unavailable.

Tward earned a bachelor's degree in biology at the University of California, Los Angeles, a Ph.D. in biochemistry, and an MD at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. He completed a residency in radiation oncology at the University of Utah. Before joining HCI, Tward founded and served as the CEO or on the Board of Directors for several pioneering e-commerce and health-related websites.