Shona T. Dougherty, MB, ChB, PhD

Associate Professor

Associate Department Head, Radiation Oncology

Phone Number: 
520-694-7236
Fax: 
520-626-3141
Short Bio: 

Dr. Dougherty earned her medical degree from the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland in 1985, and her doctorate from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1995. She was assistant professor at UCLA from 1996-2003, where she supervised the prostate seed brachytherapy program, as well as the TBI (total body irradiation) service. Dr. Dougherty joined the Arizona Cancer Center in August 2003, and has since been a zealous educator, directing the Radiation Oncology Residency Training Program since 2004, participating in a High School Mentorship Program for prospective medical students and instructing the radiobiology course for resident teaching at the University of Arizona.

Dr. Dougherty specializes in prostate cancer, and as an expert in prostate brachytherapy, presides over the prostate seed implant program at UMC. Her primary interests include genitourinary cancers such as prostate, bladder and kidney disease. Additionally, she focuses on radiotherapy for gynecologic cancers, including various applications of brachytherapy. As a research scientist, Dr. Dougherty is currently involved in database construction to assess retrospective prostate radiotherapy outcomes, and a research project funded through a grant from the AZCC Women's Cancers initiative to evaluate the potential use of vascular disrupting agents against ovarian cancer. Dr. Dougherty became the departmental clinic director in 2003, and joined Dr. Baldassarre Stea (head of Radiation Oncology) as associate head of the department in 2008.

Clinical Information
Specialty: 
Radiation Oncologist
Clinical Practice Sites: 
The University of Arizona Cancer Center - Orange Grove
Radiation Oncology
The University of Arizona Medical Center - University Campus
Research Information
Research Program: 
1. Therapeutic Development
Member Status: 
Associate Member
Year of Membership Acceptance: 
2005
Selected Publications: 
Hayes, G.M., Carpenito, C., Davis, P.D., Dougherty, S.T., Dirks, J.F. and Dougherty, G.J. Alternative splicing as a novel means of regulating the expression of therapeutic genes. Cancer Gene Therapy 9:133-141, 2002.
 
Carpenito, C., Davis, P., Dougherty, S.T., and Dougherty, G.J. Exploiting the differential production of angiogenic factors within the tumor microenvironment in the design of a novel vascular-targeted gene therapy-based approach to the treatment of cancer. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics 54:1473-1478, 2002.
 
Hayes, G., Chiu, R.K.,Carpenito, C., Dougherty, S.T. and Dougherty, G.J. Identification of sequence motifs responsible for the adhesive interactions between exon v10-containing CD44 isoforms. Journal of Biological Chemistry 277:50529-50534, 2002.
 
Hayes, G.M., Dougherty, S.T., Davis, P.D. and Dougherty, G.J. Molecular mechanisms regulating the tumor targeting potential of splice-activated gene expression. Cancer Gene Therapy 11:797-807, 2004.

Dougherty, S.T., Davis, P.D. and Dougherty, G.J. Vascular-targeted cancer gene therapy. Expert Opinion in Biology Therapy 4(12):1911-1920, 2004.
 
Dougherty, G.J., Davis, P.D. and Dougherty, S.T. Development of vascular targeted cancer gene therapy. In: Vascular Targeted Therapies in Oncology, Siemann, D. (Ed). Chapter 14, p 247-259, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 2006.
 
Pawar, S.C., Dougherty, S., Pennington, M.E., Demetriou, M.C., Stea, B.D., Dorr, R.T. and Cress, A. Alpha 6 integrin Cleavage: Sensitizing human prostate cancer to ionizing radiation. International Journal of Radiation Biology 83(11):761-767, 2007.
 
Dougherty, G.J. and Dougherty, S.T. Exploiting the tumor microenvironment in the development of targeted cancer gene therapy. Cancer Gene Therapy (In Press).
Professional Information
Board Certifications: 
  • Board eligible for Radiation Oncology
  • Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
  • USMLE I
  • USMLE II
  • LMCC (Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada)
  • CSA (Clinical Skills Assessment)
  • ECFMG Certificate
Professional Affiliations: 
  • AMA (American Medical Association)
  • BMA (British Medical Association)
  • AACR (American Association for Cancer Research)
  • ASTRO (American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology)
  • CARO (Canadian Association for Radiation Oncology)
  • ABS (American Brachytherapy Society)
Honors: 
  • Distinction Award-Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Distinction Award-Community Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Selected to attend the Sixth National Cancer Institute of Canada Course in Oncology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  • National Cancer Institute of Canada Fellowship Award
  • Canadian Association of Radiation Oncologists Residents Research Award (1992)
  • Canadian Association of Radiation Oncologists Residents Research Award (1993)
  • Listed in "The Best Doctors in America," 2009
Academic Information
Fellowship: 
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Residency: 
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Doctorate: 
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Medical School: 
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
Undergraduate School: 
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland