Randall F. Holcombe, M.D., MBA
Professor of Medicine and Division Chief, Hematology and Oncology
Director, University of Vermont Cancer Center
J. Walker Juckett Chair in Cancer Research, Larner College of Medicine
Associate Dean for Cancer Programs, Larner College of Medicine
Director, Integrated Cancer Programs, University of Vermont Health Network
149 Beaumont Ave
HSRF 326
Larner College of Medicine
Burlington, VT 05405
United States
- BA, Duke University
- MD, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School
- MBA, Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, New York, New York
University of Vermont Cancer Center
Office of the Dean, Larner College of Medicine
Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology
BIO
Randall F. Holcombe, MD, MBA is currently Director of the University of Vermont Cancer Center, Associate Dean for Cancer Programs, Larner College of Medicine, Director of Integrated Cancer Programs for the UVM Health Network and Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology. Prior to moving to the University of Vermont in August of 2021, he served as Director of the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center, successfully leading that Center through National Cancer Institute re-designation and renewal of a Cancer Center Support Grant. During his tenure there, he was successful in bringing over $47 million of grant funding to the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center.
Dr. Holcombe completed undergraduate studies at Duke University and received an MD from NJ Medical School and an MBA from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College. His post-doctoral clinical and research training was completed at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Dr. Holcombe has had leadership roles in NCI and non-NCI designated Cancer Centers since 1989, serving as Associate Director of Clinical and Translational Research at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Irvine from 1997 through 2010 and as Deputy Director of the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from 2010 through 2016. At Mount Sinai, Dr. Holcombe also served as Director of Clinical Cancer Affairs and Chief Medical Officer-Cancer for the Mount Sinai Health System and assisted with successful application for initial NCI designation for the Tisch Cancer Institute.
Dr. Holcombe is a practicing GI oncologist and has over 30 years of experience in translational research. He has served as principal investigator for over 150 cancer clinical trials. His current research activities are focused on health care delivery science to define and develop new approaches to improve the quality cancer care delivery.
Dr. Holcombe's UVM Health Network provider page
Dr. Holcombe's postdoctoral training
Residency in Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Publications
Dr. Holcombe's publications on Google Scholar
Area(s) of expertise
1. Health services and cancer care delivery research in oncology Health Services and quality-focused research, including a description of a novel compensation model for clinical oncologists, development of a new tool to monitor adherence to evidence-based guidelines and proposal of a new paradigm for consideration of healthcare quality. Additional research studies have focused on patient-reported outcomes, and specifically on the influence of demographic and structural factors that non-variably affect patient satisfaction scores, a critical element in value-based reimbursement models. Interventions to measure and improve care coordination for cancer patients have been implemented and evaluations as to how clinical trials may positively contribute to patient outcomes have been undertaken. These studies advance the field of health services research both for oncology and for healthcare overall and many have had a specific focus on rural populations.
2. Oncology Clinical Investigations as a practicing medical oncologist and holding positions of oversight of cancer clinical trials over the past 20 years, Dr. Holcombe has been involved in numerous National Cancer Institute (NCI) cooperative group, industry and investigator-initiated trials. Many studies have been translational in nature, including those involving natural products. He has also conducted additional behavioral and health sciences clinical research studies, both investigator-initiated and sponsored by the cancer care delivery component of the National Community Oncology Research Program. This work contributes to the base of knowledge that serves ultimately to reduce the burden of cancer for patients.
3. Wnt signaling in colon cancer efforts have focused on identifying key Wnt pathway components that are dysregulated in colon cancer and the mechanisms by which Wnt signaling in the tumor microenvironment promotes invasion and metastases. Dr. Holcombe's group described the selective expression of LEF1 in colon cancer and a novel Wnt-dependent pathway that controls the distribution of specific TCF isoforms. They also identified a novel Wnt-stimulating ligand, Norrin that may control angiogenesis in the colon tumor microenvironment. These studies have advanced the understanding of Wnt signaling as a highly regulated signaling pathway that not only promotes carcinogenesis but also influences tumor invasion and metastases.
4. Role and mechanisms of action of natural products for cancer treatment and prevention research defining the activity of a naturally-derived compound, resveratrol, on Wnt signaling in vitro in colon cancer cells and in vivo in colon cancer and normal colonic mucosa. This has included an investigator-initiated clinical trial of resveratrol and freeze-dried grape powder that demonstrated that the primary effects were on normal mucosa, suggesting that the principal effectiveness may be in cancer prevention, rather than cancer treatment. The group confirmed the activity of a resveratrol-containing whole food in modulation of Wnt signaling in patients, particularly those at increased risk for the development of colon cancer. More recently, the group demonstrated that the soy-derived product genistein inhibits Wnt signaling in colon cancer cells in vitro through different mechanisms and conducted an investigator-initiated therapeutic clinical trial in patients with colon cancer.
Bio
Randall F. Holcombe, MD, MBA is currently Director of the University of Vermont Cancer Center, Associate Dean for Cancer Programs, Larner College of Medicine, Director of Integrated Cancer Programs for the UVM Health Network and Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology. Prior to moving to the University of Vermont in August of 2021, he served as Director of the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center, successfully leading that Center through National Cancer Institute re-designation and renewal of a Cancer Center Support Grant. During his tenure there, he was successful in bringing over $47 million of grant funding to the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center.
Dr. Holcombe completed undergraduate studies at Duke University and received an MD from NJ Medical School and an MBA from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College. His post-doctoral clinical and research training was completed at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Dr. Holcombe has had leadership roles in NCI and non-NCI designated Cancer Centers since 1989, serving as Associate Director of Clinical and Translational Research at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Irvine from 1997 through 2010 and as Deputy Director of the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai from 2010 through 2016. At Mount Sinai, Dr. Holcombe also served as Director of Clinical Cancer Affairs and Chief Medical Officer-Cancer for the Mount Sinai Health System and assisted with successful application for initial NCI designation for the Tisch Cancer Institute.
Dr. Holcombe is a practicing GI oncologist and has over 30 years of experience in translational research. He has served as principal investigator for over 150 cancer clinical trials. His current research activities are focused on health care delivery science to define and develop new approaches to improve the quality cancer care delivery.
Dr. Holcombe's UVM Health Network provider page
Dr. Holcombe's postdoctoral training
Residency in Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Publications
Areas of Expertise
1. Health services and cancer care delivery research in oncology Health Services and quality-focused research, including a description of a novel compensation model for clinical oncologists, development of a new tool to monitor adherence to evidence-based guidelines and proposal of a new paradigm for consideration of healthcare quality. Additional research studies have focused on patient-reported outcomes, and specifically on the influence of demographic and structural factors that non-variably affect patient satisfaction scores, a critical element in value-based reimbursement models. Interventions to measure and improve care coordination for cancer patients have been implemented and evaluations as to how clinical trials may positively contribute to patient outcomes have been undertaken. These studies advance the field of health services research both for oncology and for healthcare overall and many have had a specific focus on rural populations.
2. Oncology Clinical Investigations as a practicing medical oncologist and holding positions of oversight of cancer clinical trials over the past 20 years, Dr. Holcombe has been involved in numerous National Cancer Institute (NCI) cooperative group, industry and investigator-initiated trials. Many studies have been translational in nature, including those involving natural products. He has also conducted additional behavioral and health sciences clinical research studies, both investigator-initiated and sponsored by the cancer care delivery component of the National Community Oncology Research Program. This work contributes to the base of knowledge that serves ultimately to reduce the burden of cancer for patients.
3. Wnt signaling in colon cancer efforts have focused on identifying key Wnt pathway components that are dysregulated in colon cancer and the mechanisms by which Wnt signaling in the tumor microenvironment promotes invasion and metastases. Dr. Holcombe's group described the selective expression of LEF1 in colon cancer and a novel Wnt-dependent pathway that controls the distribution of specific TCF isoforms. They also identified a novel Wnt-stimulating ligand, Norrin that may control angiogenesis in the colon tumor microenvironment. These studies have advanced the understanding of Wnt signaling as a highly regulated signaling pathway that not only promotes carcinogenesis but also influences tumor invasion and metastases.
4. Role and mechanisms of action of natural products for cancer treatment and prevention research defining the activity of a naturally-derived compound, resveratrol, on Wnt signaling in vitro in colon cancer cells and in vivo in colon cancer and normal colonic mucosa. This has included an investigator-initiated clinical trial of resveratrol and freeze-dried grape powder that demonstrated that the primary effects were on normal mucosa, suggesting that the principal effectiveness may be in cancer prevention, rather than cancer treatment. The group confirmed the activity of a resveratrol-containing whole food in modulation of Wnt signaling in patients, particularly those at increased risk for the development of colon cancer. More recently, the group demonstrated that the soy-derived product genistein inhibits Wnt signaling in colon cancer cells in vitro through different mechanisms and conducted an investigator-initiated therapeutic clinical trial in patients with colon cancer.