We are delighted to announce that Dr. Konrad Stawiski, MD, PhD, a board-certified radiation oncologist at the Regional Oncology Center (Copernicus Memorial Hospital) and Assistant Professor at the Department of Biostatistics and Translational Medicine at the Medical University of Łódź, has been awarded the prestigious Prof. Franciszek Walczak Scholarship by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA). Dr. Stawiski, who has maintained a long-standing collaboration with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston, will further his research on optimizing trimodal therapy (TMT) for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
During a six-month research fellowship scheduled for early 2026, Dr. Stawiski will participate in the clinical operations of the Genitourinary Oncology Service and undertake a project integrating clinical, molecular, immunological, and radiomic analyses. The project’s primary objective is to create precise predictive models to accurately identify patients who would benefit from bladder-sparing treatments, thereby minimizing the necessity for radical cystectomy. This research holds significant potential for improving patients’ quality of life and optimizing healthcare resource utilization both globally and within Poland. Collaboration with Prof. Kent Mouw, a renowned radiation oncologist and expert in translational oncology, will grant Dr. Stawiski access to state-of-the-art technologies and advanced scientific resources.
This fellowship marks another chapter in Dr. Stawiski’s ongoing partnership with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Previously, in 2022, he completed a six-month fellowship funded by the Bekker NAWA Scholarship, resulting in a significant publication in Science Advances. The current project is poised to yield additional valuable scientific contributions and further enhance international collaboration. The high evaluation score of Dr. Stawiski’s application (94 out of 100 points) underscores the scientific importance and potential impact of this work for advancing translational medicine and healthcare delivery in Poland.
About the Researcher:
Dr. Konrad Stawiski, MD, PhD, is a radiation oncologist with extensive clinical and research expertise, currently serving as Deputy Head of the Department of Brachytherapy and General Oncology at Copernicus Memorial Hospital in Łódź. He graduated from the Medical University of Łódź, where his doctoral thesis on integrating miRNA data for pancreatic cancer diagnostics was recognized as the best doctoral thesis in biostatistics by StatSoft Poland. Dr. Stawiski has published over 60 scientific articles in leading journals and maintains an H-index of 16 (Google Scholar). He has led and participated in numerous national and international research initiatives, including those supported by ERA PerMed Consortium and NCN. His primary research interests include applying artificial intelligence and predictive analytics in oncology, particularly focusing on cancers of the urinary and gastrointestinal systems. Additionally, Dr. Stawiski is an active member of the international working group on artificial intelligence in radiation oncology within the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) and supervises the student research group “Artificial Intelligence in Oncology.”
Further information about the scholarship results can be found at: https://nawa.gov.pl/nawa/aktualnosci/wyniki-naboru-do-programu-walczak-nawa.