Lori Pierce, MD


Adjunct Professor School of Nursing
Professor of Radiation Oncology
Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs

University of Michigan School of Nursing
400 North Ingalls Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482

Telephone: 734-764-9922
Fax: 734-647-9654

Interests

  • Breast Cancer
  • Radiation Oncology
  • Health Disparities
  • Quality Assurance

Dr. Pierce has dedicated her career to the treatment of breast cancer patients. Her research focuses on the use of radiotherapy in the multi-modality treatment of breast cancer, with emphasis on intensity modulated radiotherapy in node positive breast cancer, the use of radiosensitizing agents, and the outcomes of women treated with radiation for breast cancer who are carriers of a BRCA1/2 breast cancer susceptibility gene. She serves as Director of the Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium (MROQC), a quality consortium of radiation oncology practices across the state of Michigan that seeks to establish best practices in the treatment of breast and lung cancers. This initiative is funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network. She is a previous member of the NCI Breast Cancer Steering Committee and previously served on the Steering Committee for the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group at the University of Oxford. She continues to serve on many U.S. breast cancer boards and committees and was recently selected to be a member of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation Scientific Advisory Board.

 

Current Research Grants and Programs

  • PI; Director: Michigan Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium
  • PI; Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Breast Cancer Cell Sensitivity to Radiotherapy in the Presence of Targeted Therapies
  • PI; Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Health Equity Initiative-Breast Cancer Drivers in Black Women
  • Co-I; Elucidating the role of androgen receptor in mediating radioresistance in AR positive breast cancer (NIH-DHHSUS-21-PAF05480)

Teaching

Dr. Pierce has served as residency director and clinical director in the Department of Radiation Oncology. She is actively sought out to present at international and national conferences and has given several Visiting Professor lectures at various institutions. She currently mentors research Post Docs. She is the co-lead for the ASCO Oncology Summer Internship Program at the University of Michigan for M1 underrepresented in medicine students. She is also a mentor for the NAN/CMSS Scholar in Diagnostic Excellence Program

Affiliations / Service

  • Member, Oxford Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group (EBCTCG), 2010 – 2021
  • Member, ASCO Leadership Development, 2015-2018 (Chair, 2016 - 2017)
  • Chair, Conquer Cancer Nominating Committee, 2016-2018
  • Member, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Special Awards Selection Committee, 2016-2019)
  • Member, ASCO Strategic Planning Task Force, 2017-2018
  • Member, ASCO-American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)- Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) Hereditary Breast Cancer Guideline Panel, 2018-2019
  • Member, National Cancer Institute (NCI) Breast Cancer Steering Committee, 2018-2021
  • President-elect, President, Chair of the Board, Past-President, ASCO, 2019-2023
  • Member, National Medical Association, 2020
  • Member, Breast Cancer Research Foundation Scientific Advisory Board, 2020-Present
  • Member, Robert A Winn Foundation Diversity in Clinical Trials Career Development Program National Advisory Committee, 2020-Present
  • Member, Michigan Medicine Precision Health Executive Steering Committee, 2020
  • Member, University of Michigan Executive Vice Dean for Academic Affairs Search Committee, 2021
  • ASCO representative, ASTRO, Partial Breast Irradiation Taskforce, 2023
  • Chair, ASCO Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, 2023

Notable Awards / Honors

  • 2023, Vivian & Meyer Potamkin Foundation Prize for Breast Cancer
  • 2022, OncLive 2022 Giants of Cancer Care Award
  • 2021, National Medical Fellowship Academic & Clinical Practice Award
  • 2021, American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Gold Medal recipient
  • 2021, Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) Annual Achievement Award
  • 2020, Elected to the National Academy of National Medical (NAM)

Education

  • BSE, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 1979
  • MD, Duke University, Durham, NC 1985

Publication Highlights

  • Sjostrom, M.,  Fyles, A., Liu, F., McCready, D., Shi, W., Rey-McIntyre, K., Chang, S. L., Feng, F.,  Speers, C. W., Pierce, L. J., Holmberg, E., Ferno, M., Malmstrom, P., & Karlsson,  P. (2023). Development and validation of a genomic profile for the omission of local adjuvant radiation in breast cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 41(8), 1533–1540. doi: 10.1200/JCO.22.00655. PMCID: PMC10022846 PMID: 36599119

  • Guerra, C., Pressman, A., Hurley, P., Garrett-Mayer, E., Bruinooge, S., Howson, A., Kaltenbaugh, M., Williams, J., Boehmer, L., Bernick, L., Byatt, L., Charlot, M., Crews, J., Fashoyin-Aje, L., McCaskill-Stevens, W., Merrill, J., Nowakowski, G., Patel, M., Ramierez, A.,... & Pierce, L. (2023). Increasing racial and ethnic equity, diversity, and inclusion in cancer treatment trials: Evaluation of an ASCO-ACCC site self-assessment. JCO Oncology Practice, 19(4), e581-e588. doi: 10.1200/OP.22.00560. PM36630663.

  • Speers, C., Murthy, V. L., Walker, E. M., Glide-Hurst, C. K., Marsh, R., Tang, M., Morris, E. L., Schipper, M. J., Weinberg, R. L., Gits, H. C., Hayman, J., Feng, M., Balter, J., Moran, J., Jagsi, R., & Pierce, L. J. (2022). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and blood biomarkers for evaluation of radiation-induced cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer: Results of a phase 2 clinical Ttrial.  International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, 112(2), 417-425. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2021.08.039. PMID: 34509552.

  • Michmerhuizen, A. R., Lerner, L. M., Ward, C., Pesch, A. M., Zhang, A., Schwartz, R., Wilder-Romans, K., Eisner, J. R., Rae, J. M., Pierce, L. J., & Speers, C. W. (2022). Androgen and oestrogen receptor co-expression determines the efficacy of hormone receptor-mediated radiosensitisation in breast cancer. British Journal of Cancer, 127(5), 927-936. PM35618789.

  • Jagsi, R., Schipper, M., Mietzel, M., Pandya, R., Moran, J. M., Matuszak, M., Vicini, F., Jolly, S., Paximadis, P., Mancini, B., Griffith, K., Hayman, J., Pierce, L. (2022). The Michigan radiation oncology quality consortium: A novel initiative to improve the quality of radiation oncology care. International Journal of Radiation, Oncology, Biology, Physics, 113(2), 257-265. PM35124133.

  • Dilworth, J. T., Griffith, K. A., Pierce, L. J., Jagsi, R., Quinn, T. J., Walker, E. M., Radawski, J. D., Dominello, M. M., Gustafson, G. S., Moran, J. M., Hayman, J. A., & Vicini, F. A. (2022). The impact of chemotherapy on toxic effects and cosmetic outcome in patients receiving whole breast irradiation: An analysis within a statewide quality consortium. International Journal of Radiation, Oncology, Biology, Physics, 113(2), 266-277. PM35157997.

  • Jagsi, R., Griffith, K. A., Vicini, F. A., Abu-Isa, E., Bergsma, D., Bhatt, A., Dilworth, J. T., Dominello, M., Franklin, S., Heimburger, D. K., Kaufman, I., Kocheril, P. G., Kretzler, A. E., Paximadis, P., Radawski, J. D., Walker, E. M., & Pierce, L. (2022). Disease control after hypofractionation versus conventional fractionation for triple negative breast cancer: Comparative effectiveness in a large observational cohort. International Journal of Radiation, Oncology, Biology, Physics,112(4), 853-860. PM34718094.

  • Speers, C., Murthy, V., Walker, E., Glide-Hurst, C., Morris, E., Schipper, M., Marsh, R., Weinberg, R., Gits, H., Moran, J., Hayman, J., Feng, M., Griffith, K., Balter, J., Jagsi, R., & Pierce, L. (2022). Cardiac MRI and blood biomarkers for evaluation of radiation-induced cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients: Results of a phase II clinical trial. International Journal of Radiation, Oncology, Biology, Physics, 112(2), 417-425. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2021.08.039. PMID: 34509552.

  • Laucis, A. M., Jagsi, R., Griffith, K. A., Dominello, M. M., Walker, E. M., Abu-Isa, E. I., Dilworth, J. T., Vicini, F., Kocheril, P. G., Browne, C. H., Mietzel, M. A., Moran, J. M., Hayman, J. A., & Pierce, L. J. (2020). The role of facility variation on racial disparities in use of hypofractionated whole breast radiotherapy. International Journal of Radiation, Oncology, Biology, Physics, 107(5), 949-958. PM32376311.

  • Tung, N., Boughey, J., Pierce, L. J., Bedrosian, I., Dietz, J., Dragun, A., Balmana Gelpi, J., Hofstatter, E., Isaacs, C., Jatoi, I., Kennedy, E., Litton, J., Mayr, N., Qamar, R., Robson, M., Trombetta, M., Harvey, B., Somerfield, M., & Zakalik, D. (2020). Management of hereditary breast cancer: ASCO, ASTRO, and SSO Guideline, Journal of Clinical Oncology, 38(18), 2080-2106. doi: 10.1200/JCO.20.00299. 

  • Speers, C., Chang, S. L., Pesch, A., Ritter, C., Olsen, E., Chandler, B., Moubadder, L., Liu, M., Cameron, M., Michmerhuizen, A., Wilder-Romans, K., Zhao, S. G., Nyati, S., Bartelink, H., Feng, F. Y., & Pierce, L.J. (2020). A signature that may be predictive of early vs. late recurrence after radiation treatment (RT) for breast cancer that may inform the biology of early, aggressive recurrences. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, 108(3), 686-696. PM32434041.

  • Sjostrom, M., Chang, S. L., Fishbone, N., Davicioni, E., Zhao, S., Hartman, L., Homberg, E., Feng, F., Speers, C., Pierce, L. J., Malstrom, P., Ferno, M., & Karlsson, P. (2019). Clinicogenomic radiotherapy classifier predicting the need for intensified locoregional treatment after breast conserving surgery for early-stage breast cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 37(35), 334-3349. PMC6901281. PM31618132.

  • Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group (EBCTCG). (2019). Increasing the dose intensity of chemotherapy by more frequent administration or sequential scheduling: Patient level meta-analysis of 37,298 women with early breast cancer in 26 randomized trials. Lancet, 393(10179), 1440-1452. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)33137-4. PM30739743.

  • Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group (EBCTCG). (2017). 20-year risks of breast cancer recurrence after stopping endocrine therapy at 5 years. The New England Journal of Medicine, 377, 1836-1846. PM29117498.

  • Pierce, L., Feng, M., Griffith, K., Jagsi, R., Boike, T., Dryden, D., Gustafson, G., Benedetti, L., Matuszak, M., Nurushev, T., Haywood, J., Radawski, J., Speers, C., Walker, E., Hayman, J., & Moran, J. on behalf of the Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium (MROQC). (2017). Recent time trends and predictors of heart dose from breast radiotherapy in a large quality consortium of radiation oncology practices. Intternational Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, 99(5), 1154-1161. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2017.07.022.  PM 28927756.