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Ali Choucair, M.D.

Program Associate
Division of Medical Ethics
LDS Hospital & Department of Medicine - University of Utah School of Medicine
Salt Lake City, Utah

Correspondence:
Medical Director, Neuro-oncology
LDS Hospital
8th Ave. & C Street
Salt Lake City, Utah 84143
E-mail address: Ali.Choucair@Intermountainmail.org

Education

  • Technische Universitaet Berlin, West Berlin, 1970-1972
  • University of Houston, Downtown Campus, (South Texas Junior College) General Sciences, 1972-74
  • Rice University, Houston, Texas, B.A. Biochemistry, 1974-1976
  • University of Calgary School of Medicine, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, M.D. 1976-1979

Professional Experience

  • Attending Physician, University of California San Francisco Hospitals and Clinics 1984-1986
  • Clinical Instructor, University of California San Francisco, Department of Neurosurgery 1984 - 1986
  • Attending Physician, Marshfield Clinic and Saint Joseph Hospital, Marshfield, Wisconsin 6/1986 - 12/2000
  • Director, Neuro-oncology Service, Departments of Neurology & Oncology, Marshfield Clinic 6/1986 - 12/2000
  • Director, Cancer Pain Management Program, Department of Medical Oncology, Marshfield Clinic 1987-1989
  • Consultant, Cancer Pain Management Program, Marshfield Clinic 1989-12/2000
  • Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1987-
  • Head, Neuro-oncology Section, Department of Neurology, Marshfield Clinic 1992-12/2000
  • Medical Director, Neuro-oncology, Intermountain Health Care (IHC) & the LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah. 1/2001- with major responsibilities for teaching residents & medical students within the Internal Medicine Program at the LDS Hospital ( combined residency training program between the University of Utah School of Medicine & the LDS Hospital)
  • Preceptor, University of Utah Medical Students' Mentor Program
  • Teaching Faculty, Fourth Year Medical Ethics Course, University of Utah School of Medicine and member of the Ethics Discussion Group (University of Utah School of Medicine and the LDS Hospital)
  • Teaching Faculty, Cultural Competence and Mutual Respect in Healthcare. Curriculum for students from the University of Utah Health Sciences (medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy).
  • Oncology Project Committee, IHC Oncology Program. 1/2000 -
  • Oncology Data Group, IHC Oncology Program, 1/2000 -
  • Clinical Professor (adj) of Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine with major teaching responsibilities within the Transitional Year and the Internal Medicine residency training program (University of Utah and the LDS Hospital [Corwin Edwards, M.D., Program Director])
  • Planning Committee. 2005 Annual Ethics Conference, University of Utah. The Ethics of Mediation in Health Care. Neurologic Director, Neurovascular Program. Utah Heart Clinic. 09/2004 -
  • Stroke Task Force, Intermountain Health Care and LDS Hospital. 01/ 2005 -
  • Associate, Division of Medical Ethics, University of Utah and the LDS Hospital 06/2005 -
  • Professor of Neurosurgery (adj) University of Utah School of Medicine & attending physician (neuro-oncology), University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Hospital. 08/2005 -

National Committees

  • American Academy of Neurology Legislative Key Contact Program
  • American Academy of Neurology Speakers Bureau
  • American Academy of Neurology A.B. Baker Section on Neurological Education
  • Brain Committee, Radiation Therapy Oncology group (RTOG) 4/88 - present
  • Neurosurgical Subcommittee, RTOG 2/90 - present
  • Medical Oncology Brain Committee, RTOG 2/91 - present
  • Quality of Life Committee, RTOG 4/91 - present
  • Editorial Review Board, American Journal of Pain Management (AJPM) (member of the original board, 3/1991 - 7/1997)
  • American Academy of Pain Management, 3/91 - 7/97.
  • Alternate Delegate, AMA House of Delegates, 4/98- 6/99
  • Quality of Life Steering Committee, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 6/98- present
  • Brain Steering Committee, RTOG 1999- present
  • Chair, Working Group, RTOG Brain Committee Structure 2001
  • AMA House of Delegates, Convention Committee on Rules & Credentials, Annual Meeting 1999
  • Founding Member, Society for Neuro-oncology
  • Education Committee, Society Neuro-Oncology Annual Meeting, November 2000
  • Scientific Program, Society Neuro-Oncology Annual Meeting, November 2002 and November 2003
  • Member, American Academy of Neurology Member Reviewer Network, The Quality Standards Subcommittee Poster judge. American College of Physicians Utah Chapter, 2005 Scientific Meeting, University of Utah School of Medicine (October 8, 2005)
  • Poster Review Committee, 12th Annual Conference of the International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL). October 19-22, 2005. San Francisco, California
Publications
  1. Power S, Choucair AK, Palmer G: Is Lysine 79 a Ligand for Iron Hexacyanine Bound to Cytochrome C? Biochem Biophys Res Comm, 66 (1):103, 1975.
  2. Choucair AK, Ziter F: Pentazocine Abuse Masquerading as Familial Myopathy. Neurol, 34:158-159, 1985.
  3. Choucair AK, Ajax ET: Hair and Nail Arsenic Levels in Arsenical Neuropathy. Ann Neurol, 23:628-629, 1988.
  4. Choucair AK, Levin V, Gutin P, et al: Development of Multiple Lesions During Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy in Patients with Glioma. J Neurosurg 65:654-658, 1986.
  5. So EY, Choucair AK, Davis R, Sheline G, et al: "Neoplasm," in AIDS and the Nervous System, ML Rosenblum, RM Levy, and DE Bredesen (eds), Raven Press, 1987.
  6. Levin VA, Phuphanich S, Choucair AK, Liu HC, Da Silva, et al: Phase II Study of Combined BCNU or Procarbazine and 5-Fluorouracil, Hydroxyurea, and 6-Mercaptopurine for the Treatment of Malignant Gliomas. Cancer Treat Repts 70:1271-1274, 1986
  7. Choucair AK, Silver P, Levin VA: Risk of Intracranial Hemorrhage in patients with Gliomas Receiving Anticoagulant Therapy for Venous Thromboembolism. J Neurosurg 66:357-358, 1987.
  8. Gutin P, Leibel S, Wara W, Choucair AK, et al: Recurrent Malignant Glioma Survival Following Interstitial Brachytherapy with High activity Iodine-125 Sources. J Neurosurg 67:864-873, December 1987.
  9. Levin VA, Chamberlain MC, Prados MD, Choucair AK, et al: Phase I/II Study of DFMO and MGBG for the Treatment of Recurrent Primary Brain Tumors. Cancer Treatment Reports 71:459-464, 1987.
  10. Choucair AK, et al: Risk of Intracranial Hemorrhage in Glioma Patients Receiving Anticoagulant Therapy. Internal Medicine Digest 8:4-5, 1987.
  11. Choucair, AK: Complications of Cancer Therapy. Marshfield Clinic Practice Letter, vol 1, number 3, 1987.
  12. Jacobson DM, Warner JJ, Choucair AK, Ptacek LJ: Trochlear Nerve Palsy Following Minor Head Trauma: A Sign of Structural Disorder. Journal of Clin Neuro-Ophthalmol 8 (4) 263-268, 1988.
  13. Choucair, AK: Cancer Pain Management. Marshfield Clinic Practice Letter, vol 2, number 1, 1988.
  14. Choucair, AK: Proposals for Evaluation of Toxicity Associated with Treatment of Gliomas: A Call for Action. J. National Cancer Institute, 82:531-532, 1990.
  15. Choucair, AK: Myelopathies in Cancer Patient: Incidence, Presentation, Diagnosis, and Management - Part 1. Oncology, 71-80, June 1991.
  16. Choucair, AK: Myelopathies in Cancer Patient: Incidence, Presentation, Diagnosis, and Management - Part II. Oncology, 25-37, July 1991.
  17. Choucair, AK: A Call to Action: Cancer Pain, Can We Put an End to Unnecessary Suffering? Marshfield Clinic Bulletin, 4-7, November 25, 1991.
  18. Choucair, AK: Pharmacological Therapy for Cancer Pain. Marshfield Clinic Bulletin, 26-44, November 25, 1991.
  19. Choucair, AK: Guest Editor. Marshfield Clinic Bulletin. Neuro-Oncology I, Number 33, 1995.
  20. Choucair, AK: Basis of Astrocytomas of the Brain. Marshfield Clinic Bulletin. Number 33, 1995.
  21. Choucair AK, Scott MS, Urtasun R, Nelson D, Benjamin Mousas,Curran W: Quality of Life and Neuropsychological Evaluation for Patients with Malignant Astrocytomas. RTOG 91-14. Intern. J. Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 9-20, 1997.
  22. The International Study of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms Investigators, Unruptured Aneurysms-Risk of Rupture & Risk of Surgical Intervention: NEJM 1998;339:1725-33
  23. Victor Levin, Joon Uhm, Kurt Jaeckle, Ali Choucair, et al: Phase III Randomized Study of Post-radiotherapy chemotherapy with DFMO-PCV Versus PCV for Glioblastoma Multiforme. Clinical Cancer Research, Vol. 6, 3878-3884, 2000
  24. Levin VA, Hess KR, Choucair A, et al. Phase III Randomized Study of Post-Radiotherapy Chemotherapy with Combination DFMO-PCV Versus PCV for Anaplastic Gliomas. Clinical Cancer Research, 9(3):981-90, 2003
  25. Internationl Study of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms Investigators. Unruptured intracranial aneurysms: natural history, clinical outcome, and risks of surgical and endovascular treatment. The Lancet 2003; 362: 103-10.
  26. Chang SM, Seiferheld W, Curran W, Share R, Atkins J, Choucair, A et al. Phase I Stuudy Pilot Arms of Radiotherapy and Carmustine with Temozolomide for Anaplastic Astrocytoma (RTOG 9813): Implications for Studies Testing Initial Treatment of Brain Tumors. Int J Radiation Oncology Biol Phys.59 (4): 1122-1126, 2004
  27. Robins HI, Won M, Seiferheld W, Schultz C, Choucair A, Brachman D, et al. A Phase II trial of conventional radiation therapy plus high dose tamoxifen for the treatment of supratentorial glioblastoma multiforme. Neuro-oncology (in press)

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