Ajay Jain, MD

About Ajay Jain

Ajay Jain, M.D. is the G. Rainey Williams Chair in Surgical Research, Professor and Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology in the Department of Surgery, and Core Medical Director for the Stephenson Cancer Center. He currently serves as the Oklahoma State Chair for the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.

His surgical oncology practice focuses primarily on malignant and benign diseases of the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts, stomach and intestinal tract. Dr. Jain also performs minimally invasive robotic surgeries.

Dr. Jain attended the University of Virginia School of Medicine, followed by a surgical residency and surgical oncology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. During his residency, he also spent 6 months training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland. He also completed a three-year research fellowship in immunology and oncology at Johns Hopkins, where he studied novel therapeutic agents to help the immune system fight cancer. Some of these have been further evaluated in human clinical trials.

Following his fellowship, Dr. Jain served six years as an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, as well as chief of surgical oncology at the Baltimore VA Medical Center. In addition, he operated a laboratory that developed antibody-based immunotherapies for cancer, using funding from the American Cancer Society and the Veterans Administration.

Dr. Jain then went to State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, where he served as an associate professor of surgery and chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology. During his time at Upstate, he expanded access to cancer services in central New York. He was awarded the Upstate Foundation Award for Patient Care every year from 2015-2018, as well as the Upstate Patient Experience Award in 2018. He also received the Michael Ratner Faculty Teaching Award for three consecutive years.

Dr. Jain joined the OU College of Medicine and Stephenson Cancer Center in 2019. He is committed to providing comprehensive, multidisciplinary cancer care using the latest innovations in treatment, and his team places great importance on addressing the psychosocial, nutritional and emotional needs of patients. For patients who have exhausted standard treatment options, he provides access to cutting-edge clinical trials at the Stephenson Cancer Center. Dr. Jain also is dedicated to communicating and coordinating care with other physicians providing treatment in the community. Dr. Jain has particular clinical interest and expertise treating in cancers of the liver, pancreas, and bile ducts. He specializes in the treatment of complex cancers of the stomach and gastrointestinal tract, as well as abdominal sarcomas.

Read more about Dr. Jain's work in some recent news stories.

• Revolutionary new imaging improves survival of patients with pancreatic cancer
• With cancer cases rising among young people, a Claremore woman shares her story 
• Oklahoma Research Could Make Detecting Pancreas Cancers Easier
• OU Doctor Discusses Cancer Diagnosis Following Toby Keith Announcement
• Pancreatic Cancer Research in Oklahoma is Help Saving Lives
• 65 Pound Tumor Removed From Dewey Man

Medical Interests Areas of Interest:

• Malignant and benign diseases of the liver/pancreas/gallbladder/bile ducts
• Treatment for cancers of the stomach and intestinal tract
• Robotic surgery
• Abdominal and Retroperitoneal Sarcomas

Research Interests:

Active Clinical Trials

Identify microRNAs in Cachexia in Pancreatic Carcinoma
Start of Enrollment 12-07-2022
Role: Principal Investigator, Contact
Status: Recruiting
Link: https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?term=NCT05275075

High-dose Omeprazole in Patients With Pancreatic Cancer
Start of Enrollment 7-09-2021
Role: Principal Investigator, Contact
Status: Early Phase 1 Trial, Recruiting
Link: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04930991?cond=pancreas%20cancer&term=omeprazole&rank=

Ongoing Research

R01CA281098-01A1
Development of Contrast Agents to Facilitate Image-Guided Surgery
Major Goals: Optimal resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma is of vital importance to the improved care for patients. Our proposal will test the safety of a tumor targeted contrast agent, VD-ZW800C, with MSOT or NIR-fluorescent imaging to improve surgical resection.
Role: Multi-PI, Ajay Jain with Dr. Lacey McNally.
09/01/2023 – 08/31/2028
Total Award Amount (including Indirect Costs): $3,518,741

Asssociation of Academic Surgery Basic Science Translational Research Award
7/1/2023-630/2024
Total Direct Dollars: $35,000
Novel Imaging Techniques in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer.

Dr. Jain serves as mentor to Dr. Isabel Dennahy (PGY3) who received this mentored research award to study novel fluorescence based imaging probes for pancreatic cancer.

Stephenson Cancer Center Cancer Therapeutics Program Pilot Grant
Identification of MicroRNAs in Cachexia in African Americans with Pancreatic Carcinoma
7/1/2021-6/30/2022
Total Direct Dollars: $25,000
Role: PI