Luke Rothermel, MD, MPH

About

Luke Rothermel, MD, MPH, is a surgical oncologist and Chief – Section of Soft Tissue and GI Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center. He is also an Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Rothermel’s main areas of clinical interest are melanoma, sarcoma and peritoneal surface cancers. In 2019, UH Seidman Cancer Center recruited Dr. Rothermel to help lead its melanoma and sarcoma disease teams.

Dr. Rothermel earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biology at Capital University (Columbus, Ohio) in 2005. He then attended Wright State University (Dayton, Ohio), where he earned both his Master of Public Health and medical degree (Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine) in 2010. Dr. Rothermel’s post-graduate medical training included a clinical research fellow completed in 2014 at National Cancer Institute (Bethesda, Maryland), a general surgery residency completed in 2017 at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (Cleveland, Ohio), and a complex general surgical oncology fellow completed in 2019 at Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa, Florida).

As a researcher, Dr. Rothermel pursues research aimed at identifying new metabolic strategies for managing advanced melanomas, including efforts to prevent or overcome resistance to standard melanoma therapies. Dr. Rothermel also collaborates with scientists and staff at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center to improve the assessment and navigation of cancer patients who encounter barriers to achieving the best treatment outcomes.

Dr. Rothermel has contributed original articles to various peer-reviewed journals, among them Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research, Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research, and Annals of Surgical Oncology. In addition, he has served as a reviewer for the Journal of the American Medical Association Dermatology, Annals of Surgical Oncology, Journal of Surgical Oncology, and Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, among others.

As an educator, Dr. Rothermel has presented, lectured or performed grand rounds at conferences and symposiums hosted by University Hospitals, the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery, Dignity Health – Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Riverside/Ohio Health Medical Association, and other organizations. Among other topics, Dr. Rothermel has lectured on the management of melanomas, retroperitoneal sarcomas, extremity sarcomas and liposarcomas. He has submitted abstracts and/or presented at meetings of the Society of Surgical Oncology, Academic Surgical Congress, Central Surgical Association, American College of Surgeons, The Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, and American Psychosocial Oncology Society, among other medical associations.

Professional societies in which Dr. Rothermel is a member include the American College of Surgeons, Society of Surgical Oncology, Association of Academic Surgeons, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Cleveland Surgical Society, Ohio American College of Surgeons, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).