Shanthi Sivendran, MD, MSCR, MBA, FASCO

Dr. Shanthi Sivendran is the interim Chief Patient Officer for the American Cancer Society. In this role, Dr. Sivendran drives coordinated efforts to accelerate progress against cancer through the organization’s patient, caregiver, and healthcare professional mission initiatives.  

Dr. Sivendran oversees the organization's support network, patient navigation services, educational programs, patient and caregiver lodging and transportation, 24/7 contact center, digital patient support resources, and organizational efforts that impact the full cancer continuum across 20,000 communities.

Dr. Sivendran joined ACS in 2023, serving as ACS’s first-ever SVP for cancer treatment support. In this role, she provided oversight for the pillar’s global cancer treatment and navigation support work. Dr. Sivendran is also a practicing hematology/oncology physician in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and a Clinical Associate Professor at Penn Medicine. Dr. Sivendran is also co-founder and vice president of the nonprofit organization Oncologist in My Pocket, which provides education, collaboration, and inspiration for medical providers engaged in palliative oncology for people with advanced cancer.

Dr. Sivendran is active with several national professional organizations to advance cancer care collaboratively, including a variety of initiatives at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). She is a prolific author and noted researcher who translates the complexity of cancer innovation to a wide audience. As such, she has been a guest on Good Morning America, PBS, CNN and interviewed by The New York Times and other notable media outlets.

Dr. Sivendran earned her undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University and her medical degree from University College Dublin School of Medicine, where she also did an internship. Dr. Sivendran completed her Internal Medicine residency training at Pennsylvania State University Hershey Medical Center and her Hematology/Oncology fellowship training at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In addition to her medical training, she earned a Master of Science and Clinical Research from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a Master of Business Administration from Isenberg School of Management.

Dr. Sivendran lives in Lititz, PA, with her husband and three children.