Dr. Olivia Arahna joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Oncology as an Assistant Professor in December, 2017. She attended the University of Bombay (Mumbai) in India, receiving her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1995. She then Received her PhD in Pathology from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, and went on to complete her Residency there in Internal Medicine in 2004. She completed a Fellowship in Hematology-Oncology at Northwestern University in Chicago, after which she opened a private Oncology practice in Dayton, Ohio. Most recently, she was part of a group Hematology Oncology practice in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where she became Lead Physician in the Breast Cancer and Lung Cancer screening programs.
Dr. Arahha’s interest in studying the biology of cancer cells, their mechanism of survival, response to therapy and the role of combination chemotherapeutics led her to pursue a PHD in Pathology. Her research focus was transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. She studied cell signaling and regulation of tumor cell growth by modulation of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. The goal was to increase sensitivity to therapy and accelerate cancer cell apoptosis. She pursued residency training in Internal medicine and then, a fellowship in Hematology-Oncology. Her clinical interests include colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, head and neck cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer. Modulating the cancer microenvironment, cancer immunotherapy and personalization of therapy based on the genetic signature of the tumor, prevention and early detection are her current areas of focus.