Meet the Team

Ashish Ranjan, B.V.Sc., Ph.D.

Vice Chair for Comparative Oncology and Research Innovation and Director of the Veterinary Research and Oncology Clinic

Ashish Ranjan, B.V.Sc., Ph.D., Endowed Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, earned his B.V.Sc. degree (DVM equivalent) from Madras Veterinary College, in Chennai, India, followed by a Ph.D. in biomedical and veterinary sciences from Virginia Tech. Dr. Ranjan was then a visiting fellow at the Center for Interventional Oncology, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Dr. Ranjan's research interests are in the application of device-directed nanoparticles for solid tumor chemo-immunotherapy. His lab is actively engaged in preclinical and bench-to-bedside veterinary clinical trials and has received funding from several federal, state, and private sources. Dr. Ranjan has received several distinguished awards, including the NIH Merit Award. He also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Focused Ultrasound Foundation, UK's Humanimal Trust, and NIH panels.

Kai Jiang, Ph.D.

Lead Physicist

Kai Jiang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, is a medical physicist in the Department of Radiation Oncology. He earned his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and completed a research fellowship at the Mayo Clinic. He went on to complete his medical physics residency at the University of Maryland Baltimore, where he later served as a faculty physicist.

Dr. Jiang serves as lead physicist at VROC. His mission is to ensure safe and accurate delivery of state-of-the-art radiotherapy to our animal patients. Dr. Jiang has over a decade of experience working with animals, including laboratory rodents, rabbits, and swine. He is also engaged in preclinical research studies aimed at developing advanced imaging technologies for disease diagnoses, and innovating radiotherapy technologies for more effective cancer treatment. His research has led to publication of over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters.

Hao Peng, Ph.D.

Physicist

Hao Peng, Ph.D., Professor, joined UTSW from the Department of Medical Physics at Wuhan University in China, where he served as the Director of the Medical Physics Program. Dr. Peng earned both his B.S. and M.S. at Wuhan University, followed by his Ph.D. at the University of Western Ontario (Canada). He did his postdoc training in the Department of Radiology at Stanford University. Before joining UTSW, he held several visiting professorships including Stanford, McMaster University (Canada), and Hokkaido University (Japan). His research focuses include adaptive radiation therapy, artificial intelligence, PULSAR, and radiation therapy combined with immunotherapy.

Faraz Chamani, Ph.D.

HIFU Therapist

Faraz Chamani, Ph.D., earned his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Kansas State University in 2023. His research focused on in vitro measurement and mathematical modeling of hyperthermia-induced bioeffects in pancreatic cancer cells, contributing to the development of modeling tools for predictive treatment planning of thermal therapies and furthering understanding of the effects of energy-based interventions that involve perturbation of tissue temperature.

Dr. Chamani gained industry experience as a R&D radiofrequency engineer at Varian Medical Systems in Austin, Texas. During his one-year tenure, he expanded his technical engineering skills and computational modeling expertise, particularly in finite element analysis (FEA) in minimally invasive thermal ablation for cancer treatment. During this time, Dr. Chamani contributed to the development of a microwave thermal ablation system for the treatment of liver tumors.

With extensive research and industry experience in energy-based thermal ablation modalities, Dr. Chamani has published his work in peer-reviewed journals. Currently, as a post-doctoral researcher, his work focuses on optimizing high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) as a novel non-invasive therapeutic approach for cancer treatment. This includes both thermal ablation and non-thermal histotripsy techniques, with a particular emphasis on designing personalized treatment protocols for canine cancer patients.

LaChandra Wilcox

Chief Radiation Therapist and Program Manager

LaChandra Wilcox graduated from the University of South Alabama in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Radiation Therapy. Following her graduation, she began her career as a radiation therapist in Mobile, Alabama, where she honed her skills in patient care and treatment delivery until 2014.

In 2014, LaChandra relocated to Texas to serve as the radiation services director at Collom & Carney Cancer Center in Texarkana, where she worked until 2017. During her tenure, she demonstrated leadership in managing clinical operations and enhancing patient care protocols.

In 2017, she joined UT Southwestern Medical Center as a senior radiation therapist. Through her dedication and expertise, she advanced to her current role as chief radiation therapist in 2021. In this position, LaChandra oversees a team of over 60 radiation therapists, ensuring the highest standards of clinical care while addressing the daily needs of both staff and patients.

Outside of her professional responsibilities, LaChandra enjoys spending quality time with her husband and three children, as well as their beloved Lhasa Poo, Smokey. She also enjoys binge-watching new crime series and relaxing by the pool.

Paige Neumann

Animal Research Study Coordinator

Paige Neumann attended Texas A&M University (Whoop!) and graduated with a B.S. in biomedical sciences in 2024. She worked as a veterinary assistant in several vet clinics during college to gain experience in animal care and safety, diagnostic testing and imaging procedures. She also has experience in biological and chemical laboratories. Paige’s research interests include investigating the use of nanoparticle treatments for tumor clearance, which she works on with Dr. Ranjan and the nanoimmune therapeutics lab team.