During his training period, Dr. Kasi attended Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, where he graduated in 2006 with his Medical Degree. He then completed a residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, specializing in Internal Medicine. This was followed by a fellowship in Oncology/Hematology at Mayo Clinic Rochester in 2016 and most recently/concurrently, Dr Kasi was awarded his Master’s in Basic and Biomedical Sciences from Mayo Clinic College of Graduate Medical Education in 2018.

Throughout his education and even into his initial residency, Dr Kasi was still unsure exactly where he wanted to focus his attention once his studies were completed. He was extremely grateful for his fantastic mentors who inspired him to pursue his passions, and on finding GI cancers of particular interest, decided to pursue a career in Oncology.

Dr. Kasi previously worked at the Mayo Clinic Hospital for more than 5 years, with the last several years as Assistant Professor at the College of Medicine & Oncology at the Florida campus. Dr. Pashtoon Kasi has now pursued a new role as the Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine – Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation at The University of Iowa – Carver College of Medicine. The University of Iowa – Carver College of Medicine is a highly ranked medical school where students learn to become accomplished clinicians and top-flight researchers and educators. With its emphasis on problem-solving skills, early exposure to patients, and enhanced community-based experiences, UI medical students typically earn impressive scores on Step 1 of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination and successfully “match” with top-quality residency programs around the country.

Dr. Kasi has particular expertise and interest in treating colon and rectal cancer, although he treats and runs clinical trials for patients with novel therapies for patients with other GI cancers as well. On a day to day basis, Dr. Kasi sees and treats GI cancers and colon/rectal patients in an outpatient setting. He also conducts research and performs trials with a precision medicine focus. He has keen interest in how circulating tumor DNA testing (ctDNA) – “liquid biopsies” and pharmacogenomics can be used to deliver better care. Factoring in tumor heterogeneity and changes/evolution that happen in cancers over time is something that ctDNA testing can help assess. He is currently working on developing a patient derived tumor xenograft registry and cell lines. This would allow for high throughput drug screening experiments to discover novel drugs/drug combinations.

Even though he is very early on in his career, Dr. Kasi has been awarded and nominated for a number of professional honors in recognition of his dedication to the patient care. These include the Teamwork – Above and Beyond Recognition Program (2016, 2017, 2018), Excellence – Above and Beyond Recognition Program, 2017, Tow Tan Humanism in Medicine, 2016, Outstanding Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Trainee, 2016, Excellence in Patient Care and Professionalism – Nominee, 2015, Excellence in Patient Care and Professionalism – Nominee, 2016 and Humanism and Excellence in Teaching during his residency at University of Pittsburgh (2010-2013). Dr. Kasi attributes his successful and thriving career to having great mentors, training, and an ever growing passion for the patient care and research.

To broaden his understanding, knowledge and participation, Dr. Kasi is a member of a number of professional associations including The American Medical Association (AM), The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), The American Society of Hematology (ASH) and American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

Over the next five years, Dr. Kasi’s goals include the continuation of patient care and research; to perform more robust research, open novel clinical trials and to participate in fellowship education.

When Dr. Kasi isn’t busy working, he enjoys playing squash and spending time with his family.