Christine M. Bestvina, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Associate Director for Clinical Operations for Thoracic Oncology at the University of Chicago Medicine. She specializes in the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and Small Cell Lung Cancer, with expertise in immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and the integration of ablative radiotherapy. Dr. Bestvina also serves as the Assistant Program Leader for the Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics Program at the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center. She leads multiple investigator-initiated and cooperative-group clinical trials, including serving as National Principal Investigator of the A082002 trial evaluating immunotherapy with or without radiation for advanced PD-L1–negative NSCLC, and Principal Investigator of DARES, a Phase II trial studying durvalumab with ablative radiation in extensive-stage Small Cell Lung Cancer.
Dr. Bestvina is an active contributor to national and international leadership in thoracic oncology through her involvement in the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and a broad portfolio of invited lectures and media contributions. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and reviews focused on clinical trial innovation, mechanisms of treatment resistance, and biomarker-driven precision medicine, and she is consistently recognized among Chicago Magazine’s Top Doctors (2023–present). A committed educator and mentor, she has received multiple institutional teaching awards and is dedicated to advancing patient-centered research and improving outcomes for individuals with thoracic malignancies.