Division Chief, Neuro-oncology
Vice Chair, Neurology
Professor
Dr. Soma Sengupta, MD, MBA, Ph.D., FRCP, FANA, FAAN, has joined UNC Health’s Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery. Dr. Sengupta is a board-certified neurologist and neuroscience-oncologist, a fellowship-trained, sub-specialty board-certified neuro-oncologist, and is fellowship-trained in integrative medicine. She is a physician-scientist, clinical trialist specializing in brain tumor treatment and research with over 80 publications on clinical trials, case reports, lab-based research, and healthcare policy.
During medical training, Dr. Sengupta went out of her way to stay active in research and obtain diverse training, which included immunology research at the Cambridge Institute of Medical Research, research at Johns Hopkins, and pediatric brain tumor research at Boston Children’s Hospital. All these experiences focused on how a cell senses and communicates with the “outside world” through the transport of ions and metabolites of various sorts.
Dr. Sengupta’s primary area of lab-based research looks to improve patient outcomes for brain tumor patients. This includes individuals with primary brain tumors as well as metastatic brain tumors. Since her time in Boston, she has explored how to target a specific ion channel and discovered a new class of drugs to do so. Dr. Sengupta’s research also includes advancing technologies that have the potential to impact patient care.
Dr. Sengupta is a recipient of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award presented by the Arnold P Gold Foundation and the Unsung Hero Award presented by Cancer Family Care.
SPECIALTIES
Neuro oncology
Neurology
EDUCATION
Fellowship – Integrative Medicine, Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, The University of Arizona, 2023
Fellowship – Neuro-Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Mass General, 2013
Residency – Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-Harvard, 2011
M.D. – University of Cambridge, U.K., 2002
PhD – Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, U.K., 1994
B.S. – Biochemistry, University of Wales, U.K., 1990
BOARD CERTIFICATIONS
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 2011, 2022
Neuro-Oncology Board Certified (UCNS)
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
For recent publications, visit Dr. Soma Sengupta’s PubMed listing.
