Innovation Theater 4 | Supported By: Eli Lilly and Company

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Program Description

Join this 45-minute symposium for a practical, case-based discussion on how comprehensive biomarker testing can be effectively integrated into routine care for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to ensure appropriate initial treatment decisions.

Moderated by Dr. Gerard Silvestri (pulmonologist), the session will follow a real-world patient journey, prompting discussions around tumor staging, tissue acquisition, and molecular evaluation. A multidisciplinary expert panel featuring Dr. Adam Fox (pulmonologist), Dr. Charu Aggarwal (thoracic oncologist), and Dr. Jessica Donington (thoracic surgeon) will explore current guidelines for the application of biomarker-informed therapy, how to overcome barriers to tissue acquisition and testing practices, results interpretation and implications for treatment decisions, as well as the importance of cross-specialty coordination to improve patient care.

The program will conclude with a panel discussion and audience Q&A, designed to surface real-world workflow challenges and share multidisciplinary strategies that support timely, guideline-aligned biomarker testing practices and treatment decisions for patients with early-stage NSCLC.

MMAT-02712 March 2026 © 2026 Eli Lilly and Company. All Rights Reserved.

Speakers

Moderator: Gerard Silvestri, MD, MS, FCCP
Medical University of South Carolina
Hillenbrand Distinguished University Professor of Thoracic Oncology
Charleston, South Carolina

Dr. Silvestri is the Hillenbrand Distinguished University Professor of Thoracic Oncology at the Medical University of South Carolina. He completed his training in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and received an additional degree in health services research, both at Dartmouth. He is widely regarded as an international expert in lung cancer. His research includes screening for lung cancer, lung nodule evaluation, diagnosis and staging of lung cancer, development of biomarkers for disease risk and treatment, and disparities in delivering lung cancer care to underserved communities. Dr. Silvestri is a writer and editor of the American College of Chest Physicians lung cancer guidelines. He has authored more than 300 scientific articles, book chapters and editorials. He has served on multiple editorial boards and currently serves on the editorial board of the journal Chest. Dr. Silvestri is past president of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), a society serving 20,000 chest physicians worldwide. He currently serves on the steering committee of the American Cancer Society’s National Lung Cancer Roundtable. Dr. Silvestri was the recipient of the 2020 lifetime achievement award in Lung Cancer from the American Thoracic Society. In 2022, Dr. Silvestri was named a Master Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians, a distinction awarded to only 40 members in the nearly 90 years of that organization’s existence.

Presenter: Adam Fox, MD, MS
Medical University of South Carolina
Assistant Professor
Charleston, South Carolina

Adam H. Fox, MD, is a specialist in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) with expertise in thoracic oncology, focusing on lung cancer diagnosis, biomarkers, and improving treatment pathways. His research centers on streamlining molecular testing, such as NGS, to improve care efficiency and outcomes for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Presenter: Charu Aggarwal, MD, MPH, FASCO
University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine
Leslye M. Heisler Professor of Medicine Section Chief, Thoracic and Head & Neck Cancer
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Presenter: Jessica Donington, MD, MSCR
University of Chicago
Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Section of Thoracic Surgery
Chicago, Illinois

Dr. Donington is Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Section of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Chicago. She has expertise in multimodality therapy for locally advanced lung cancer and lung cancer clinical trials. She is co-chair of the NCI Thoracic Malignancies Steering Committee, the surgical chair for the NRG Oncology Lung Group, 2nd vice-president for the Society of Thoracic Surgery, and a Director for the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. She is a past president of the Western Thoracic Surgical Association, the New York Society for Thoracic Surgery, and the Women in Thoracic Surgery. She was named 2025 Nina Starr Brunwald Extraordinary Women in Thoracic Surgery by the Society of Thoracic Surgery.