Sapna Syngal, MD, MPH
Job Title
Director of Research, Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention
Director, Gastrointestinal Cancer Genetics and Prevention Clinics
Founder, Lynch Syndrome Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Speaker Bio
Sapna Syngal, MD, MPH is the Leader of the Cancer Risk, Prevention, and Early Detection Program in the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Director of Strategic Planning for Prevention and Early Cancer Detection at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Director of Research in the Division of Cancer Genetics and Prevention at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She has established an internationally recognized clinical, research, and educational program devoted to the genetics, early detection and prevention of cancer.
Dr. Syngal’s research interests began in the field of inherited gastrointestinal cancers, including Lynch syndrome and inherited pancreatic cancer, where her lab has made seminal contributions to identifying new methods of identifying individuals and families at high risk of cancer and screening for cancers at their earliest stages using novel technologies and biomarkers. A related focus of her work has been to increase access to genetic testing, with a focus on increasing testing and cancer screening among disadvantaged populations. She is the developer of the PREMM models, which are widely used for risk assessment for inherited cancer, the founder of the Lynch Syndrome Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Principal Investigator of the GENERATE study, funded as part of a Stand Up 2 Cancer and Lustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Interception Dream Team project.
Dr. Syngal has served as part of numerous national and international committees including the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, an American Society of Clinical Oncology group that developed the Policy Statement Update on Genetic and Genomic Testing for Cancer Susceptibility, and led the development and publication of the American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline for Genetic Testing and Management of Hereditary Gastrointestinal Cancer Syndromes. She was elected to be a member of the Association of American Physicians in 2018 and the American Society of Clinical Investigation in 2009. She was the recipient of the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Collaborative Group of Americas on Hereditary Colorectal Cancer. As a culmination of her career, Dr. Syngal is now leading efforts across Dana-Farber and the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center to implement a paradigm shift in cancer care, with a focus on taking care of patients with premalignant conditions with interventions that lead to cancer interception.
Dr. Syngal’s research interests began in the field of inherited gastrointestinal cancers, including Lynch syndrome and inherited pancreatic cancer, where her lab has made seminal contributions to identifying new methods of identifying individuals and families at high risk of cancer and screening for cancers at their earliest stages using novel technologies and biomarkers. A related focus of her work has been to increase access to genetic testing, with a focus on increasing testing and cancer screening among disadvantaged populations. She is the developer of the PREMM models, which are widely used for risk assessment for inherited cancer, the founder of the Lynch Syndrome Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Principal Investigator of the GENERATE study, funded as part of a Stand Up 2 Cancer and Lustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Interception Dream Team project.
Dr. Syngal has served as part of numerous national and international committees including the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, an American Society of Clinical Oncology group that developed the Policy Statement Update on Genetic and Genomic Testing for Cancer Susceptibility, and led the development and publication of the American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Guideline for Genetic Testing and Management of Hereditary Gastrointestinal Cancer Syndromes. She was elected to be a member of the Association of American Physicians in 2018 and the American Society of Clinical Investigation in 2009. She was the recipient of the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Collaborative Group of Americas on Hereditary Colorectal Cancer. As a culmination of her career, Dr. Syngal is now leading efforts across Dana-Farber and the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center to implement a paradigm shift in cancer care, with a focus on taking care of patients with premalignant conditions with interventions that lead to cancer interception.
Speaking At
