Dr. Sapna Syngal

Dr. Sapna Syngal is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of Research at the Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she founded the Gastrointestinal Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program. An international authority in the field of cancer genetics and prevention, she is frequently invited to speak to clinical trainees, practicing physicians, and professional organizations such as the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the National Society of Genetic Counselors, the American College of Physicians, and the American College of Gastroenterology. Dr. Syngal, who received her MD from McGill University and her MPH from Harvard, has published more than 130 articles in The Journal of the American Medical Association, The Journal of Clinical Oncology, The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, and other leading medical periodicals. She has also authored 16 national and international clinical and professional expert guidelines on genetic testing for hereditary cancers, including those endorsed by the US Multi-Society Task Force, the American Society for Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Gastroenterology, and is responsible for the development of the PREMM model, an algorithm that uses personal information and family history to predict the likelihood of carrying certain cancer predisposing gene mutations. A firm believer in the importance of promoting hereditary cancer prevention to lay audiences, Dr. Syngal organizes patient care conferences for the general public. She also appeared in the PBS Medical Series on colon cancer and has been quoted in Vogue and US News and World Report. She is currently working on a book that deals with both the evolution of the field of cancer genetics and the actual experience of learning about—and living with—inherited cancer risks.