Gita Mody, MD, MPH

About

 Dr. Gita Mody is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health with the Public Health Leadership Program. She received her M.D. at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and received her M.P.H. in Clinical Effectiveness from the Harvard School of Public Health. As an Assistant Professor in the UNC Department of Surgery and Director of Thoracic Surgical Oncology, her clinical expertise is in caring for lung cancer patients, who are amongst the most vulnerable and underserved groups in North Carolina. Her major research interest is in optimizing quality of life and other patient-centered outcomes in patients with chronic illness through studying the implementation of digital health and other complex interventions. Her training in comparative effectiveness research, patient-reported outcomes measurement, and implementation science are synergistic, and she is well-versed with experimental and pragmatic study designs. Her current and prior work is funded through grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) , American College of Surgeons (ACS), and the Thoracic Surgery Foundation (TSF). She is passionate about global equity in health and actively engages in training the next generation of clinical-scientists from low-resourced settings through her work in the Malawi Cancer Outcomes Research Program. 

Honors and Awards

Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network Scholars Program
2021

American College of Surgeons Faculty Research Fellowship Award
2021

Outstanding Medical Student Teaching by Faculty Award
2019, UNC School of Medicine

Thoracic Surgery Foundation Research Award
2019

Junior Research Fellowship Award in Honor of Robert T. Osteen, MD
2017, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Commission on Cancer Paper Competition Honorable Mention
2016, The Massachusetts Chapter of the ACS

Intuitive Surgical Robotics Fellowship
2015

Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars & Fellows Alumni Award
2013, National Institutes of Health

Harvard Medical Student Excellence in Teaching Award 2013
2013, Harvard Medical School

Women in Thoracic Surgery Conference Travel Scholarship
2013, Women in Thoracic Surgery

Nominee American Women Surgeons 2012 Hilary Sanfey Outstanding Resident Award
2012, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Innovation, Development, Enterprise, Action, & Service Global Challenge Prize Winner
2012, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Extreme Affordability: Innovation in Surgical Care Student Scholarship Center for Global Surgery
2012, University of Utah School of Medicine

Team Heart Stanley Rawn Travel Award
2012, Team Heart

Leadership Award
2011, Direct Action Research Program

Resident Teaching Award
2010, Tufts University School of Medicine

Arthur Tracy Cabot Fellowship
2010, CSPH

Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research
2010

Resident Teaching Award
2009, Tufts University School of Medicine

Center of Expertise in Global Health Travel Scholarship
2009, Partners Healthcare

Alpha Omega Alpha
2007, WUSM

Samson F. Wennermen Prize in Surgery
2007, WUSM

Annual Boston Hub Gun Fundamentals in Laparoscopic Skills Competition winner
2007, FLS

Forum for International Health and Tropical Medicine Fellowship
2005, WUSM

Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology Summer Research Fellowship
2003, WUSM

Keystone Award for Outstanding Extracurricular Involvement
2002, Vanderbilt University

Dean’s Select Scholarship
1998, Vanderbilt University

Chancellor’s Full Tuition Scholarship
1998, Vanderbilt University

Key Publications

Pre-COVID-19 National Mortality Trends in Open and Video-Assisted Lobectomy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Dezube AR, Hirji S, Shah R, Axtell A, Rodriguez M, Swanson SJ, Jaklitsch MT, Mody GN (1970). J Surg Res, 274(213-223).

Steroid dosing and delirium after lung transplant surgery. Mody GN*, Choi B*, Townsend K, Kerwin C, Larios D, Boukedes S, Coppolino A, Singh S, Jin G, Wolfe D, Mallidi H, Goldberg H (1970). Gen Hosp Psychiatry, S0163-8343(22), 00017-2.

Treatment outcomes of esophageal cancer in Eastern Africa: protocol of a multi-center, prospective, observational, open cohort study.  Buckle GC, Mrema A, Mwachiro M, Ringo Y, Selekwa M, Mulima G, Some FF, Mmbaga BT, Mody GN, Zhang L, Paciorek A, Akoko L, Ayuo P, Burgert S, Bukusi E, Charles A, Chepkemoi W, Chesumbai G, Kaimila B, Kenseko A, Kibwana KS, Koech D, Macharia C, Moirana EN, Mushi BP, Mremi A, Mwaiselage J, Mwanga A, Ndumbalo J, Nvakunga G, Ngoma M, Oduor M, Oloo M, Opakas J, Parker R, Seno S, Salima A, Servent F, Wandera A, Westmoreland KD, White RE, Williams B, Mmbaga EJ, Van Loon K; of the African Esophageal Cancer Consortium (AfrECC) (1970). BMC Cancer, 22(1).

The Impact of Vaping on Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax Outcomes. Shah M, Bryant MK, Mody GN, Maine RG, Williams JB, Upham TC (2021). The American Surgeon.

Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes Monitoring during lung cancer chemotherapy: a nested cohort within the PRO-TECT pragmatic trial (AFT-39). Mody GN, Stover A, Wang M, Kallimanis B, Jansen J, Henson S, Chung A, Jonsson M, Bennett A, Jonsson M, Smith AB, Wood WA, Deal A, Ginos B, Dueck AC, Schrag D, Basch E (2021). Lung Cancer, 162.

Education