Nicole Simone, MD
Professor & Vice Chair, Research and Faculty Development of Radiation Oncology, Associate Director, Cancer Research Training and Education, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center; Radiation Lead, Jefferson Breast Care Center
Highlights
- Co-leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program at Sydney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia
- Radiation director for the Jefferson Breast Care Center in Philadelphia
- Her research has shown that caloric restriction, combined with radiation, inhibits both tumor growth and metastasis and improves survival in both breast cancer and prostate cancer
Connect with Dr. Simone
Nicole Simone, MD, is the Margaret Q. Landenberger Professor and vice chair of research and faculty development of radiation oncology, associate director of cancer research training and education at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health, and radiation lead for the Jefferson Breast Care Center.
Dr. Simone earned her undergraduate degree in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania and her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She completed her radiation oncology training at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), where she stayed on as staff to study the long-term toxicity caused by cancer treatment.
Today, Dr. Simone is a physician-scientist at Thomas Jefferson University. Her NCI-funded laboratory explores how caloric restriction, or a reduction in overall calories, can make chemotherapy and radiation more effective, slowing tumor growth and spread while improving survival in breast, prostate, and lung cancer models. She brings her research directly to the clinic and currently has two open clinical trials using dietary strategies for people with breast cancer and brain metastases.
Dr. Simone has authored more than 100 research publications and serves on many national review committees. She is a councilor at Radiation Research Society, chair of the Scientific Education Committee at ASTRO, co-chair of the curriculum committee for CABTRAC, and is a member of the physician leadership committee for the American Association of Cancer Institutes.
Dr. Simone's long-term goal is to find creative ways to ensure each cancer patient has access to nutritional counseling.
The most rewarding part about being a doctor is really being on a personal journey with patients. I’m fortunate enough that I chose to see cancer patients as my career, and I really love being a part of that journey with them.
Experience & Accolades
Expertise
- Radiation Oncology
Education
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Doctor of Medicine, 2003
- University of Pennsylvania
- Bachelor of Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biomedical Engineering
Experience
- Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals
- Co-Leader of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Breast Program, 2018-Present
- Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, 2014-Present
- Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, 2010-2013
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University
- Margaret Q. Landenberger Professor of Radiation Oncology, 2016-Present
- National Cancer Institute
- Assistant Clinical Investigator, 2008-2010
Awards and Distinctions
- ARRO Excellence in Teaching Award, 2015
- Physician Award for Kimmel Cancer Center, 2013
- RTOG – Simon Kramer New Investigator Award, 2013
- Ben Franklin Scholar, Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award, 2013
- NIH Award for Research Excellence, 2009
Publications
- A systematic review of home-based dietary interventions during radiation therapy for cancer. Allenby TH, Crenshaw ML, Mathis K, et al.