Sidharth (Sid) V. Puram, MD, PhD, co-director of The Robert Ebert and Greg Stubblefield Head and Neck Tumor Center at Siteman Cancer Center, was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), according to a May 4 announcement. Siteman Cancer Center is based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine, where Puram also serves as the Lindburg Professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.
The ASCI is recognized as one of the nation’s oldest medical honor societies and focuses on physician-scientists’ roles in research, clinical care, medical education, and leadership within academic medicine and industry. Founded in 1908, it honors early- to mid-career physician scientists who have made significant contributions to translational or clinical research. Election to ASCI recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement that advances understanding or treatment of human disease.
Puram has contributed new insights into tumor growth, treatment resistance, and metastasis in head and neck cancers. His research uses single-cell and spatial analyses to study tumors in detail. These efforts have defined cellular diversity within these cancers, informed innovative clinical trials, and identified potential therapeutic targets for better patient outcomes.
This year three WashU Medicine physicians were elected to ASCI: Puram; Suzanne E. Schindler, MD, PhD; associate professor of neurology; and Christopher D. Smyser, MD; A. Ernest & Jane G. Stein Professor of Developmental Neurology and chief of Pediatric & Developmental Neurology. “Their election to ASCI highlights WashU Medicine’s strength in supporting physician-scientists who bridge laboratory research and clinical care.” Puram, Schindler, and Smyser were formally inducted at the 2026 annual joint meeting held in Chicago.
Since 2012 seven WashU Medicine physicians have been elected to ASCI; four are affiliated with Siteman Cancer Center or Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital: Puram himself along with Jorge A. Di Paola, MD; Patricia Dickson, MD; and Angela Hirbe, MD, PhD.
Located in Saint Louis Missouri since its founding in 1999,Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital is led by current president Timothy Eberlein.
