MD, PhD, FRCP, FAAN, FANA
Professor, Neurology-Oncology
Division Chief of Neuro-Oncology
Vice Chair of Research, Department of Neurosurgery
Vice Chair, Neurology
UNC-Chapel Hill
Molecular Therapeutics
Neuro-Oncology Clinical Program
Area of Interest
Soma Sengupta, MD, PhD, FRCP, FANA, FAAN, is a board-certified neurologist, a fellowship-trained, sub-specialty board-certified neuro-oncologist, and is fellowship-trained in integrative medicine. She is a physician-scientist, clinical trialist specializing in brain tumor treatment and research with over 80 publications on clinical trials, case reports, lab-based research, and healthcare policy.
During medical training, Sengupta went out of her way to stay active in research and obtain diverse training, which included immunology research at the Cambridge Institute of Medical Research, research at Johns Hopkins, and pediatric brain tumor research at Boston Children’s Hospital. All these experiences focused on how a cell senses and communicates with the “outside world” through the transport of ions and metabolites of various sorts.
Sengupta’s primary area of lab-based research looks to improve patient outcomes for brain tumor patients. This includes individuals with primary brain tumors as well as metastatic brain tumors. Since her time in Boston, she has explored how to target a specific ion channel and discovered a new class of drugs to do so. Her research also includes advancing technologies that have the potential to impact patient care.
Awards and Honors
- Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, Arnold P. Gold Foundation, 2023
- Cancer Family Care’s Joslin Haggart Yeiser Unsung Hero Award, 2022
- Bye-Fellow, University of Cambridge, Lucy Cavendish College, U.K., 2021
- Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians, U.K., 2020
News and Stories
Pomeranz Krummel and Sengupta co-author publication evaluating the efficacy of new brain tumor technology
Daniel Pomeranz Krummel, PhD, and Soma Sengupta, MD, PhD, FRCP, FAAN, FANA, want to utilize ultrasound technology and a glioblastoma-on-chip microdevice to treat brain tumors.
Patient’s ER visit turns into brain surgery, cancer diagnosis
After experiencing sudden vertigo spells, Jennifer White was diagnosed with a tumor in her cerebellum, the area of the brain that controls balance and coordination.
