Kristin Higgins MD
TITLE
Medical Director of Radiation Oncology, The Emory Clinic
Radiation Oncology
- Esophageal
- Thoracic
About the provider
Kristin Higgins, MD, is a board certified radiation oncologist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Higgins practices general radiation oncology and specializes in the treatment of head and neck cancer, lung cancer, and thyroid cancer. She treats patients at Winship Cancer Institute’s Clifton campus, where she serves as medical director, and also at Emory Proton Therapy Center.
Education
Dr. Higgins attended medical school at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. She completed residency in Radiation Oncology at Duke University, 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. She earned a BS in neuroscience at Vanderbilt University and graduated magna cum laude.
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.
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.
Board Certifications
Radiation Oncology
American Board of Radiology, 2012