NEXT San Antonio

Dr. Anthony Tolcher is a medical oncologist and co-founder of NEXT Oncology. He is dedicated to the development of new anticancer agents — including clinical trials and therapies — for patients looking for their next option now that their current cancer therapy is no longer working to their benefit. Dr. Tolcher is proud that the NEXT Oncology team scours the world to bring the best new agents back to its patients and centers.

This is much more than a job for Dr. Tolcher. It is his life’s work.

BACKGROUND:

He is a graduate of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He performed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Toronto and his fellowship in oncology at the University of British Columbia. He followed this with a research fellowship at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.

He was a Fogarty Fellow at the National Institute of Health and received the Murray Muirhead Award for humanitarian and academic excellence and the Goel Prize in Medicine for excellence in the Clinical Disciplines. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada; a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology; and a member of the American College of Physicians, and the American Society of Clinical Oncologists. He also serves as a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Scientific Program Committee and the Cancer Education Committee.

Dr. David Sommerhalder specializes in and is board certified in medical oncology and hematology and is also board certified in internal medicine. He works at NEXT Oncology San Antonio as an investigator on numerous clinical trials, where he helps to find additional treatment options for patients who otherwise may be out of options. He does this with the ultimate goal of finding more and better treatments for future cancer patients, but his priority is always the patient he is actively caring for.

BACKGROUND:

Dr. Sommerhalder earned his medical degree from the Ross University School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency at Louisiana State University Health, Shreveport, Louisiana where he also served as Chief Resident. Dr. Sommerhalder was also the Chief Fellow at Feist-Weiller Cancer Center at LSU Health, Shreveport.

Medical Oncologist and Clinical Investigator

Dr. Rodriguez is a Phase 1 clinical investigator at NEXT Oncology in San Antonio, Texas. He is board-certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology. He leads multiple clinical trials at NEXT and is thrilled to offer clinical trial options for the diverse community of San Antonio. One of his goals is to expand patient education and access to clinical trials.

BACKGROUND:

Dr. Rodriguez earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Program in Austin, Texas. He served as a chief resident at the Dell Medical School in Austin. Dr. Rodriguez completed his medical oncology and hematology fellowship at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City where he also served as chief fellow. With a focus in liquid tumors early in his career at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, he made a shift to focus on Phase I clinical research and offer patients an opportunity for additional treatment in their cancer care.

Dr. Sharon T. Wilks is a valuable member of the Phase 1 Clinical Investigation Team. She focuses on research and advancement in the treatment of breast cancer with more than 32 years of research and clinical experience as a hematologist and medical oncologist. Dr. Wilks has been involved in breast cancer research since her early career in the Air Force. At NEXT Oncology she is involved in all Phase I and drug development projects with a dedication to breast cancer research.

BACKGROUND:

Dr. Wilks was born in Baltimore and received her medical degree at Uniformed Services University of Health Science in Bethesda, Md. She obtained additional training and her fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.

She received the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, was the 2003 American Cancer Society Volunteer of the Year for the San Antonio Metro Unit. She is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Oncology, and a 2004 inductee into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame. She received the KLRN Women’s Health Award for 2000 and the Chi Eta Phi Sorority Humanitarian Award, San Antonio Chapter.

Dr. Michael Song is a medical oncologist and hematologist, as well as a board certified internal medicine physician. He has over 22 years of experience in cancer patient care and cancer research. He is a compassionate physician who recognizes the critical importance of physician-patient partnership in cancer care. He also recognizes the value of patient and family empowerment through knowledge sharing on cancer and cancer treatments. His interest in cancer care is in bringing new treatment options to cancer patients through Phase 1 clinical trials.

BACKGROUND:

Dr. Song completed his fellowship training in Hematology & Medical Oncology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Prior to fellowship, he completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He is a graduate of the combined MD/PhD program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas. His PhD was in biochemistry, cellular & molecular biology, with research work focused on cancer molecular biology. His prior research work includes studies in molecular mechanisms of cancer treatment resistance, cancer cell and xenograft model establishment and characterization, and translational and clinical research. Prior to his MD/PhD training, Dr. Song obtained PharmD from the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy and worked for nearly 8 years as an oncology clinical staff pharmacist at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. He is a graduate of Clear Lake High School in Houston, Texas and obtained his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Peter J. DeMaria, MD is a medical oncologist with a focus on early phase drug development at NEXT Oncology.

Dr. DeMaria is a graduate of the NCI-FDA Interagency Oncology Task Force, a joint fellowship program with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. DeMaria completed an NCI-sponsored combined clinical fellowship in hematology and oncology through the NIH Intramural Research Program. He later served as a medical officer with the Office of Oncologic Diseases, Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA.

Prior to joining the federal government, he completed residency training in internal medicine and a clinical fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He received his medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and his undergraduate degree in economics from Dartmouth College. With a focus on the development of novel cancer therapies, Dr. DeMaria’s skillset includes clinical trial methodology and analysis, clinical aspects of medical product development, and regulation to facilitate the movement of drugs, biologics, and devices from the basic bench science to commercialization.

Dr. DeMaria is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in medical oncology, internal medicine, and hospice & palliative medicine. He is board eligible in hematology. Active licensure in Texas and Florida.