Dr. Foster Joins GenSurg Faculty
April 9, 2025
Deshka Foster, MD, PhD has been appointed Assistant Professor of Surgery: General Surgery in the UML effective September 1, 2025.
Foster completed her general surgery at Stanford in 2023. During that time, she earned her PhD in cancer biology in the Longaker Lab. She then went on to complete dual fellowships in Complex General Surgical Oncology and Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, NY.
"Dr. Dr. Foster is an amazing surgeon whose advanced training at MSKCC will augment our surgical oncology program” said Department of Surgery Chair Dr. Mary Hawn. “In addition, she is an innovative and talented scientist who will advance our understanding of cancer progression and opportunities to improve care and outcomes for patients suffering from pancreatic cancer.”
Foster is the first author on the study “Postoperative adhesions are abrogated by a sustained-release anti-JUN therapeutic in preclinical models,” which was published last month in the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine. Her research showed that surgical adhesions can be prevented in mice and pigs by a gel impregnated with a molecule that blocks a key signaling pathway in the formation of scar tissue.
“We’re so thrilled to recruit her back to Stanford and can’t wait to watch what she will accomplish,” said Hawn.
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– SurgeryDr. Foster Wins AWS Outstanding Resident Award
Dr. Deshka Foster has been selected as the recipient of the 2022 Dr. Hilary Sanfey Outstanding Resident Award by the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS).
– SurgeryDr. Foster Awarded 2nd SPARK Grant
Dr. Deshka Foster, a Chief Resident in the General Surgery Residency program, has been awarded her second grant from the SPARK Translational Research Program.
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