Gavitt Woodard

Dr. Gavitt Woodard is an Assistant Professor of Surgery (Thoracic) at Yale School of Medicine, specializing in lung cancer care and minimally invasive robotic surgery. She leads research on biomarkers and the tumor immune microenvironment under the mentorship of Dr. Lieping Chen, focusing on early-stage NSCLC and immune dysfunction. Her work is funded by grants including the Yale SPORE in Lung Cancer and the American Cancer Society. Dr. Woodard completed her medical degree at Stanford University and surgical training at UCSF, earning multiple awards including the Society of Thoracic Surgeons AstraZeneca Lung Cancer Research Award (2024).

Education & Training:

• BS in Neurobiology, Harvard University (2006)
• MD, Stanford University School of Medicine (2011)
• General Surgery Residency, UCSF (2018)
• Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship, UCSF (2020)

Research Interests:

• Biomarkers for early NSCLC detection
• Immune cell dynamics in lung tumors
• Robotic surgery advancements
• Clinical outcomes of chemoimmunotherapy

Awards:

• IASLC Young Investigator Award (2023)
• SPORE in Lung Cancer Career Grant (2022)
• Robotics Fellowship (2019)
• Chief Resident Achievement Award (2018)

Labs & Collaborations:

• Chen Lab (PD-L1 research)
• Cancer Immunology Center