Peter O’Donnell, MD
2012 Associate Junior Faculty Scholars
Peter H. O’Donnell, MD, specializes in the treatment of genitourinary malignancies, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers — with particular expertise in bladder cancer.
Dr. O’Donnell is a well-published researcher with advanced training in pharmacology and pharmacogenomics (the study of genetic traits that cause differences between patients in drug responses and side-effects). He has an interest in the study of individualized care, which involves considering each patient’s genetic profile when determining chemotherapy and other therapeutic decisions. Dr. O’Donnell has several ongoing research projects. Currently, he is investigating how genetic factors affect chemotherapy drug outcomes — specifically for patients receiving the widely used chemotherapy drugs cisplatin and capecitabine, and for patients receiving chemotherapy as part of their treatment for bladder cancer.
Additionally, Dr. O’Donnell serves as principal investigator of the “1200 Patients Project,” a clinical study operated through the Center for Personalized Therapeutics at the University of Chicago. In this role, he leads an initiative exploring the possibility and benefit of incorporating broad pharmacogenomic testing into routine clinical practice for patients with any type of disease.
Dr. O’Donnell is also a member of the University of Chicago Committee on Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics. This committee aims to expand the educational mission of conducting research and training the next generation of scientists in clinical pharmacology, principles of therapeutics, molecular pharmacology, and pharmacogenomics.