Dr. Haas received his B.S. in Biology from Villanova University
in 1992. He became very interested in biomedical research
as an undergraduate and decided to pursue a combined MD/PhD
program. He attended Thomas Jefferson University and graduated
in 1999 with both his MD and PhD degrees. He then pursued
his Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at the
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania from 1999-2002
followed by fellowship training in Pulmonary and Critical
Care Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
from 2002 to 2006. While a fellow, he worked as a Postdoctoral
Research Fellow in the Thoracic Oncology Research Laboratory
of the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center under the
tutelage of Dr. Steven Albelda. The primary focus of his
research was to investigate methods of manipulating the
immune system to improve the effectiveness of anti-cancer
vaccines. In addition, he received a year of advanced training
in Interventional Bronchoscopy with Dr. Daniel Sterman,
Director of Interventional Pulmonology which included a
five week program of advanced rigid bronchoscopy training
in Marseilles, France with Dr. Herve Dutau, an international
leader in the field of rigid bronchoscopy. Dr. Haas joined
the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center
in 2008. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary
Medicine, and Critical Care Medicine.
Dr. Haas is currently Director of Clinical Operations for
the Section of Interventional Pulmonology and Thoracic Oncology.
Dr. Haas has advanced training in the following techniques:
flexible and rigid bronchoscopy; balloon bronchoplasty,
endobronchial stent placement (metal and silicone), endobronchial
brachytherapy, photodynamic therapy, auto-fluorescence bronchoscopy
(LIFE), transbronchial needle aspiration/biopsy, bronchoscopic
electrosurgery (including argon plasma coagulation), endobronchial
ultrasound (radial and convex probe), percutaneous tracheotomy,
and pleuroscopy. His clinical interests are related to the
treatment of thoracic malignancies, specifically with regard
to the application of novel technologies in Interventional
Pulmonology to design and to improve the diagnosis and treatment
of thoracic malignancies. His research interests are in
the translation of laboratory discoveries from the bench
to the bedside: conducting human clinical trials of gene
therapy and vaccine therapy for lung cancer, mesothelioma,
and other pleural malignancies.
Currently, Dr. Haas is a co-investigator on several clinical trials including the following: a genetic immunotherapy trial utilizing adenoviral intrapleural interferon in patients with mesothelioma and a multicenter, randomized, double-blinded Phase III clinical trial of a recombinant MUC-1 vaccine for Stage III lung cancer patients with stable/responding disease following definitive chemoradiotherapy. Dr. Haas is the primary investigator on a phase I intravenous vaccinia GM-CSF oncolytic virus for patients with refractory lung cancer or other cancers that have spread to the chest.
Dr. Haas has also been involved in clinical research projects
aimed to utilize advanced bronchoscopic techniques to treat
diseases such as tracheomalacia, severe asthma, and emphysema.
Haas, A.R. (2009). Infectious complications from full extension endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration. Eur Resp Jl. 33(4):935-938.
Sakr, L., J. Puchalski, C. Gable, D.H. Sterman, S. Shah, and A.R. Haas. (2009). Endotracheal spindle cell lipoma presenting as a chronic cough. J Bronchol Intervent Pulmonol 16:105-107.
Jacob-Ampuero, M.-P., A.R. Haas, V. Ciocca, M. Bibbo. (2008). Cytologic accuracy of samples obtained by endobronchial ultrasound guided needle aspirations at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Acta Cytol 52:687-690.
Kim, S, G. Buchlis, Z.G. Fridlender, J. Sun, V. Kapoor, G. Cheng, A.R. Haas, H.K. Cheung, X. Zhang, M. Corbley, L.R. Kaiser, L.E. Ling, S.M. Albelda. (2008). Systemic Blockade of Transforming Growth Factor-β Signaling Augments the Efficacy of Immunogene Therapy. Cancer Research, 68:10247-10256.
Sterman DH, Recio A, Carroll RG, Gillespie CT, Haas AR,
Vachani A, Kapoor V, Sun J, Hodinka R, Brown JL, Corbley
MJ, Parr M, Ho M, Pastan I, Machuzak M, Benedict W, Zhang
XQ, Lord EM, Litzky LA, Heitjan DF, June CH, Kaiser LR,
Vonderheide RH, Albelda SM. A phase I clinical trial of
single-dose intrapleural IFN-beta gene transfer for malignant
pleural mesothelioma and metastatic pleural effusions: high
rate of antitumor immune responses. Clin Cancer Res. 2007
Aug 1;13(15 Pt 1):4456-66.
Haas AR. Palliative Care and the Intensive Care Unit: Recent
advances in the palliative management of respiratory symptoms
in advanced-stage oncology patients. Amer Jl of Hospice
and Palliative Med. 2007 24(2):144-151.
Haas AR, Sterman DH, and Musani, AI. Malignant Pleural Effusions:
Management Options with Consideration of Coding, Billing,
and a Decision Approach. 2007 Chest. 132:1036-1041.
Haas AR, Sun J, Vachani A, Silverberg M, Kapoor V, and Albelda
SM. Cycloxygenase-2 Inhibition Augments the Efficacy of
a Cancer Vaccine. Clinical Cancer Research 2006 12(1):214-222.
Sterman DH, Gillespie CT, Carroll RG, Coughlin CM, Lord
EM, Sun J, Haas AR, Recio A, Kaiser LR, Coukos G, June CH,
Albelda SM, Vonderheide RH. Interferon beta adenoviral gene
therapy in a patient with ovarian cancer.Nat Clin Pract
Oncol. 2006 3(11):633-9.
Musani AI, Haas AR, Seijo L, Wilby M, Sterman DH. Outpatient
management of malignant pleural effusions with small-bore,
tunneled pleural catheters. Respiration. 2004 Nov-Dec;71(6):559-66.
