Dr. Leila Tchelebi is a board-certified radiation oncologist who specializes in the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) and thoracic malignancies, with a secondary focus on head and neck cancers. In particular, she has expertise in stereotactic body radiation therapyin the management of upper GI malignancies such as pancreatic and liver cancer. She is part of the Liver, Pancreatic and Foregut Multi-Disciplinary Treatment Team at Penn State, as well as the Colorectal, Thoracic and Head and Neck Groups. She has extensive experience with SBRT for lung cancer and is also certified in Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for the treatment of both primary and secondary central nervous system cancer. She also has expertise in the use of intensity-modulated radiation therapy and image guidance for a variety of cancer sites including lung, GI, and head and neck.

Dr. Tchelebi is dedicated to ensuring the best care for her patients and their families. She is passionate about promoting a multi-disciplinary approach to cancer care and works closely with other members of the treatment team to ensure that each patient receives the best treatment plan.

Dr. Tchelebi is hopeful that her patients feel confident in the multi-disciplinary care they receive at Penn State. She is passionate about making her patients feel at ease and comfortable with their cancer diagnosis and treatments.

Dr. Leila Tchelebi’s research interests have an emphasis on cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. She has co-authored a textbook chapter on GI cancers and written a number of review papers on the role of radiation therapy in upper GI cancers. Her ongoing research is aimed at improving outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer, for which efforts are needed to improve patient outcomes. She is optimistic that ongoing efforts will one day improve cure rates for this and other GI cancers.