Ashley A. Powell, PhD

Dr. Ashley Powell leads GCAR’s Clinical Operations and Data Management teams. 

Dr. Powell has over 20 years of experience in translational medical research with a focus on solid tumor oncology and technology development. 

As a research associate at Stanford University, Dr. Powell’s emphasis was on early detection of breast cancer recurrence and genomic profiling of cells involved in metastasis. During this time, Dr. Powell co-invented the MagSweeper, a semi-automated device that isolated circulating tumor cells from fresh whole blood; this “liquid biopsy” allowed for a comprehensive view of the broad heterogeneity that occurs in metastatic disease. It also demonstrated that actionable tumor markers could be made with a simple blood sample.

Dr. Powell went on to manage numerous pharmaceutical drug trials for the Department of Gynecologic Oncology at Stanford and working primarily with patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

Before coming to GCAR, Dr. Powell managed clinical research projects in the medical device arena for several years focused on bringing cutting edge medical innovation to patients.

After completing a PhD in Cancer Biology at the University of Arizona with a focus on colon cancer, Dr. Powell completed two post-doctoral fellowships at Stanford University in Radiation Oncology and Surgical Oncology.