Loren K. Mell

Loren Mell, MD, is a board-certified radiation oncologist who specializes in treating head and neck and gynecologic cancers. He is vice-chair of Clinical and Translational Research for the Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and is chief of Head and Neck Radiation Oncology at UC San Diego Health.

His clinical expertise is in both head/neck and gynecologic cancer. Dr. Mell’s research uses novel image-guided technologies to study the effects of radiation therapy on the immune system. He is director of the Center for Translational Imaging and Precision Medicine in La Jolla, Calif., and is the lead investigator for several clinical trials which study immune checkpoint inhibitors for patients with head and neck cancer and bone marrow sparing chemoradiation for advanced gynecologic cancers.

He serves on several national committees, including NRG Oncology, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Head and Neck Cancer Committees, the NRG Oncology Cervix Committee, and the NIH Radiation Therapy and Biology Study Section. He has expertise in medical statistics and clinical trial design, and is lead editor of the textbook Principles of Clinical Cancer Research.

Prior to joining UC San Diego Health, Dr. Mell worked at the National Bureau of Economic Research in Palo Alto and the Center for Health Studies in Seattle. Dr. Mell completed his residency training and earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, where he was chief resident. He is board certified in radiation oncology.