Description of Research Expertise

My research falls into three broad categories 1) development and translation of novel molecular imaging agents primarily PET tracers 2) imaging radiation treatment response include imaging biomarkers and radiogenomic analysis and 3) clinical trials in breast, gynecologic, and prostate cancers to improve therapeutic ratio. I work establish interdisciplinary collaborations with radiology, medical physics, and the clinical teams in medical and surgical oncology.

Selected Publications

Nasioudis D, Rush M, Taunk NK, Ko EM, Haggerty AF, Cory L, Giuntoli RL 2nd, Kim SH, Latif NA.: Oncologic outcomes of surgical para-aortic lymph node staging in patients with advanced cervical carcinoma undergoing chemoradiation Int J Gynecol Cancer 32 : 823-827,2022.

N.Taunk: 18F-FluorThanatrace (18F-FTT) positron emission tomography (PET/CT) in prostate cancer measures in vivo PARP-1 expression and is associated with adverse clinicopathologic features. American Society of Clinical Oncology ; McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois. Poster presentation. (5030): 2022.

Rhodes SS, Shah NK, Gray K, Lahav J, Ryan T, Rivera M, Freedman GM, Taunk NK.: Nursing Telemedicine Educational Encounters: Improved Patient Satisfaction in Radiation Therapy Clinics Clin J Oncol Nurs 26 : 275-282,2022.

N.Taunk: Evaluation of in vivo PARP-1 Expression with 18F-FluorThanatrace (18F-FTT) Positron Emission Tomography (PET/CT) in Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer Publication Society Of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging. Vancouver, Canada. Oral Presentation. : 2022.

LaVigne A.W., Fields E.C., Gillespie E.F., Green W.R., Hughes R.T., Kahn J.M., Lally B.E., Mansy G.J., Remick J.S., Schutz A.N., Taunk N.K. and Corteville J.D.: Power of Pedaling: Physician Well-being as a Collaborative Effort in Social Media-based Cycling. Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group, Asynchronous Virtual Oral Presentation. : 2022.

N.Taunk: Preliminary results of a phase Ib/2 window of opportunity clinical trial (NCT04454528) assessing the effects of preoperative (preop) pembrolizumab +/- radiation in early-stage breast cancer (eBC) Society Of Surgical Oncology 2022, Dallas, Texas , oral presentation. : 2022.

Jacobsen MC, Beriwal S, Dyer BA, Klopp AH, Lee SI, McGinnis GJ, Robbins JB, Rauch GM, Sadowski EA, Simiele SJ, Stafford RJ, Taunk NK, Yashar CM, Venkatesan AM.: Contemporary image-guided cervical cancer brachytherapy: Consensus imaging recommendations from the Society of Abdominal Radiology and the American Brachytherapy Society Brachytherapy : 2022.

Yoon J, Fitzgerald H, Wang Y, Wang Q, Vergalasova I, Elshaikh MA, Dimitrova I, Damast S, Li JY, Fields EC, Beriwal S, Keller A, Kidd EA, Usoz M, Jolly S, Jaworski E, Leung EW, Donovan E, Taunk NK, Chino J, Natesan D, Russo AL, Lea JS, Albuquerque KV, Lee LJ, Hathout L.: Does Prophylactic Paraortic Lymph Node Irradiation Improve Outcomes in Women With Stage IIIC1 Endometrial Carcinoma? Pract Radiat Oncol : 2022.

Shah NK, Kim KN, Grewal A, Wang X, Ben-Josef E, Plastaras JP, Metz JM, Goel A, Taunk NK, Shabason JE, Lukens JN, Berman AT, Wojcieszynski AP.: Activity Monitoring for Toxicity Detection and Management in Patients Undergoing Chemoradiation for Gastrointestinal Malignancies JCO Oncol Pract : 2022.

Taunk N.: The role of proton therapy in gynecological radiation oncology Int J Gynecol Cancer : 2022.

Academic Contact Information

Department of Radiation Oncology
Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
3400 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215-662-6515
Patient appointments: 800-789-7366