Chetan Bettegowda, MD, PHD
Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery and Oncology
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Chetan Bettegowda attended Duke University as a Benjamin N. Duke Scholar, where he graduated with a double major in Biology and Religion. He went on to complete his MD and PhD degree in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in the laboratory of Drs. Bert Vogelstein and Ken Kinzler. After finishing the MD/PhD program, Dr. Bettegowda completed his neurosurgery training at Johns Hopkins. While a resident, he returned to the Vogelstein/Kinzler lab to finish a post-doctoral fellowship.
Dr. Bettegowda is currently the Jennison and Novak Families Professor of Neurosurgery and Oncology and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His clinical focus is on the surgical management of brain tumors, while studying the molecular events cause them to arise in the laboratory. In particular, his current research is focused on translating our genetic understanding of tumors for diagnostic benefit. As Medical Director of the Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics, his efforts have focused on the applications of cell free tumor derived DNA for the early detection and monitoring of a myriad of cancers. His research is funded by the Burroughs Wellcome Career Award for Medical Scientists, Doris Duke Clinician Scientist Award, Department of Defense and the National Cancer Institute. He has been recognized with numerous awards including being named the William Baumgartner Johns Hopkins Physician of the Year. He has published widely with over 230 articles including in journals such as Science, Science Translational Medicine, Nature Genetics, Nature Communications and PNAS.