Christopher Rodman, MD
Yale Cancer Center

NCIS

The North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS) congratulates Christopher Rodman, MD, from Yale Cancer Center as the 2026 recipient of the NANETS Clinical Investigator Scholarship (NCIS) Award. Dr. Rodman was awarded this scholarship for his proposal: "Radiomics, Deep Learning, and Digital Pathology to Identify Biomarkers of Response and Resistance to Capecitabine/Temozolomide in Advanced Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors."

Dr. Rodman's project addresses a key gap in treating advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: doctors currently have no reliable way to predict which patients will respond to chemotherapy. Using imaging and pathology data from a completed national clinical trial, he will apply AI and machine learning tools to identify biomarkers that can guide treatment decisions for these patients.

Dr. Rodman is a third-year Hematology/Oncology fellow at Yale Cancer Center, where he cares for patients with GI and neuroendocrine tumors and is pursuing a Master of Health Science in Clinical Investigation. He has already contributed to biomarker research in pancreatic cancers, published a case report on a novel resistance mechanism in pNET, and contributed to the development of an emerging NCTN trial concept within the SWOG cooperative group.

Dr. Rodman will continue to be mentored by Pamela Kunz, MD, past NANETS President, national study chair of the E2211 trial, Director of the Center for GI Cancers, and Division Chief of GI Medical Oncology at Yale School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center. "Dr. Rodman ranks in the top 5% of fellows I have trained," said Dr. Kunz. "He is exactly the type of investigator our field needs, and I offer him my strongest support."

The NCIS award is a two-year, $100,000 grant, supported by grants from the NANETS NETFund and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. NANETS is grateful to Novartis for its generous investment in this annual research grant, which will make a difference for the NET medical community and the patients we serve. The NANETS Scientific Review & Research Committee establishes the award criteria, oversees the review process, and independently selects the recipient.