Kristin Higgins
MD
A board certified radiation oncologist, Dr. Higgins specializes in the treatment of lung, head and neck cancers.
Specialty
Dr. Higgins research interests focus on improving treatment outcomes for lung cancer.
Titles and Roles
- Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology
- Emory University School of Medicine
- Vice Chair in Clinical Research, Department of Radiation Oncology
- Emory University School of Medicine
- Medical Director of Radiation Oncology
- The Emory Clinic, Clifton Campus
- Research Program
- Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics
Biography
Kristin Higgins, MD, is Associate Professor and Vice Chair in Clinical Research in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Higgins also serves as medical director of radiation oncology of The Emory Clinic at Winship Cancer Institute's Clifton campus location. A board certified radiation oncologist, Dr. Higgins specializes in the treatment of lung, head and neck cancers. She treats patients at Winship Cancer Institute and Emory Proton Therapy Center.
Dr. Higgins is a member of multiple professional organizations including American Society for Radiation Oncology, American Board of Radiology, International Association for the study of Lung Cancer, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. She is a member of the NRG Oncology Board of Directors and a member of NRG Oncology's Lung Cancer Core Committee, Communications Committee, Research Strategy Committee and Protocol Operations Management Committee and serves as chair of the RTOG Foundation Communications Committee.
Education
Dr. Higgins attended medical school at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. She completed residency in Radiation Oncology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, as well as an internship in internal medicine. Throughout her training she received numerous honors, including induction into Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and the Roentgen Resident/Fellow Research Award at Duke University, and the ASCO Bradley Stuart Beller Merit Award, given to the top ASCO abstract submitted by a resident or fellow.
Research
Dr. Higgins' research interests include using functional imaging in head and neck cancer to predict treatment outcomes. She has been awarded funding for her research on the effects of soy on head and neck cancer and for her research on exercise and lung cancer. She also has a research interest in optimizing radiotherapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
Dr. Higgins leads numerous clinical trials at Winship Cancer Institute that examine innovative treatment approaches in the treatment of lung cancer. One such clinical trial is LU005, a NRG Oncology/Alliance study comparing chemoradiation with or without immunotherapy for limited stage small cell lung cancer. This clinical trial is funded by the National Cancer Institute and provides a novel treatment approach for patients with newly diagnosed small cell lung cancer.
Below is a listing of current federal grants for the above principal investigator.
GrantNumber Title
Publications
Dr. Higgins has authored and coauthored over 60 scientific, peer-reviewed manuscripts and abstracts and given many oral presentations at national and international meetings.
Publications Publication Date