About

Surbhi Grover, MD, MPH, is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She serves as the Director of Global Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and is the Director of Oncology for the Botswana UPENN Partnership and the Center for Global Health at the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, she is a Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and the Director of the Program in Global Cancer Innovation at the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation. Her research focuses on addressing the growing global cancer burden through public health initiatives and cost-effective clinical strategies to improve access to care and outcomes in developing countries. Her interests include studying racial and ethnic disparities in cancer care and outcomes, HIV-related malignancies, and the implementation and scaling of prevention and treatment programs in low-resource settings. Since 2011, she has been working with the Botswana-UPENN partnership to develop an oncology program in Botswana, with research centered on the epidemiology of HPV-related cancers and treatment outcomes in patients with HIV and malignancies. Her work aims to improve cancer care delivery and outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.

Research topics

• Nursing
• Psychiatry
• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Clinical psychology

Selected publications

• Figure 2 from Patients with Cervical Cancer with and without HIV Infection Have Unique T-cell Activation Profiles despite Similar Survival Outcomes after Chemoradiation

  2025-05-13

  preprintOpen access

  <p>Changes in T-cell subsets before and after CRT by HIV status. <b>A,</b> CD8 T cells and (<b>B</b>) CD4 T cells were stratified into four major subsets by two additional markers (CCR7 and CD45RA) to identify naïve (CD45RA<sup>+</sup>CCR7<sup>+</sup>), central memory (CD45RA<sup>−</sup>CCR7<sup>+</sup>), effector memory (CD45RA<sup>−</sup>CCR7<sup>−</sup>), and effector (CD45RA<sup>+</sup>CCR7<sup>−</sup>) subsets. Box plots overlay individual patient data points for subset frequencies over three longitudinal study time points (Initial, EOT, and M3).</p>

  PublisherDOI

• HPV profiles in Botswana: An analysis of healthy women, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and invasive cervical cancer

  Gynecologic Oncology Reports · 2025-10-18

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  • Widespread HIV and HPV in Sub-Saharan Africa contributes to the growing burden of cervical cancer. • Compared to healthy students, women with CIN or invasive cervical cancer have a higher prevalence of high-risk (HR) HPV. • Compared to women with CIN, women with invasive cervical cancer have higher prevalence of HR HPV. • Cellular HPV viral burden remains unchanged between healthy students, women with CIN, and women with cervical cancer. • Regardless of viral burden, further acquisition of HR HPV in those with CIN is important in progression to cervical cancer. High prevalence of HPV and HIV contribute to the high rate of cervical cancer (CaCx) in Botswana. HPV subtypes in healthy, unvaccinated students (Cohort 1), women with CIN II/III (Cohort 2), and women with invasive CaCx (Cohort 3) were compared. The Ipabalele study in Gaborone, Botswana enrolled patients between 2016–2020. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and HPV cervical swabs were collected. PathoChip quantified prevalence of HPV subtypes. Overall 414 patients enrolled. Cohort 1: 43; Cohort 2; 212; Cohort 3: 159. Median age was 19, 39, and 46 years. Women living with HIV (WLWH) accounted for 0 %, 76 %, and 72 %. High-risk (HR) HPV prevalence in Cohort 1 increased 34 % to 57 % over 20 months. HPV profiles did not differ by HIV status. The prevalence of all HR HPV subtypes in Cohorts 2 and 3 is increased compared to Cohort 1. The prevalence of HPV HR subtypes except for HPV 53 is increased in Cohort 3 compared to Cohort 2. Among WLWH, Cohort 3 had a higher prevalence of HPV 16, 18, and 34 compared to Cohort 2. Among women without HIV, Cohort 3 had a higher prevalence of HPV 16 and 18 compared to Cohort 2. Compared to healthy women, HPV subtype representation is higher among women with CIN and CaCx. This suggests the presence of multiple HR HPV strains may impact transformation from pre-cancerous lesions to CaCx, highlighting the importance of CIN detection and primary prevention of HR HPV to decrease the incidence of CaCx in Botswana.

  PublisherDOI

• Supplementary Figure 4 from Patients with Cervical Cancer with and without HIV Infection Have Unique T-cell Activation Profiles despite Similar Survival Outcomes after Chemoradiation

  2025-05-13

  preprintOpen access

  <p>Supplementary Figure 4</p>

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Assessing delays in accessing and completing radiotherapy for cervical cancer treatment: A multicenter survey of oncology providers in go further-funded countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

  Gynecologic Oncology Reports · 2025-07-18

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  • Many cervical cancer treatment facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa lack adequate radiotherapy infrastructure. • Delays in diagnosis and treatment initiation contribute to suboptimal cervical cancer outcomes. • Key barriers to accessing care include transportation challenges, treatment fear, and financial hardship. • Limited patient support services hinder adequate advanced-stage cervical cancer treatment. • These findings highlight the urgent need to expand advanced-stage cervical cancer treatment efforts by Go Further. Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in Sub-Saharan Africa. Go Further provides funds for prevention and screening in Sub-Saharan Africa, but access to treatment for invasive disease remains limited. This survey aims to assess delays in accessing curative-intent chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer in countries receiving Go Further funding. Oncology providers in countries receiving Go Further funding (Botswana, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe) and South Africa were invited to participate in a web-based survey beginning September 2023. Fifteen oncology providers responded, with all countries except Malawi represented. Nearly half (46.3 %) reported wait time of ≥two months for chemoradiotherapy consultation. 93.3 %, 71.4 %, 53.7 % and 73.3 % had access to at least one CT, linear accelerator, cobalt, and brachytherapy machine, respectively. Majority (60 %) reported wait time of <one month to initiate chemoradiotherapy after staging. However, 28.6 % reported >95 % of patients complete external radiotherapy within 42 days, and 33 % reported >95 % of these patients receive brachytherapy. Only 26.7 % reported overall treatment time within 56 days for >95 % of patients. Lack of transportation, funding, and patient fear, were other treatment barriers reported. These results highlight the need for additional chemoradiotherapy resources in Go Further-funded countries. In addition to expanding radiotherapy, supplemental avenues to improve access in Sub-Saharan Africa include addressing barriers that increase wait times along the care continuum and implementing social support. This survey serves as a call to Go Further, highlighting the urgent need for resource allocation for cervical cancer treatment.

  PublisherDOI

• TRENDS IN STAGE AND SURVIVAL AFTER ESTABLISHING A MULTIDISCIPLINARY GYNECOLOGICAL ONCOLOGY CLINIC IN BOTSWANA

  International Journal of Gynecological Cancer · 2025-11-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• PATTERNS AND OUTCOMES OF PALLIATIVE RADIOTHERAPY IN ADVANCED VULVAR CANCER IN A HIGH HIV-PREVALENCE SETTING

  International Journal of Gynecological Cancer · 2025-11-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Data from Patients with Cervical Cancer with and without HIV Infection Have Unique T-cell Activation Profiles despite Similar Survival Outcomes after Chemoradiation

  2025-05-13

  preprintOpen access

  &lt;div&gt;Abstract&lt;p&gt;The global burden of cervical cancer is highest in low- and middle-income countries. Women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are particularly affected by cervical cancer despite availability and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Immune profile correlates of survival and treatment response have not been widely explored in patients with and without HIV infection. This study recruited women with cervical cancer undergoing definitive chemoradiation (CRT) in Botswana. Clinical characteristics and blood samples were collected. Flow cytometry was performed on samples prior to initiation, at completion, and 3 months after CRT. Logistic regression analysis identified immune markers that differed by HIV status and correlated with overall survival (OS). The study enrolled 131 consecutive women (HIV+ &lt;i&gt;N&lt;/i&gt; = 89 and HIV− &lt;i&gt;N&lt;/i&gt; = 42). From initiation to 3 months after CRT, a significant decrease in CD4 frequency (72%–60.55%, &lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.001) and an increase in CD8 frequency (20.9%–31.5%, &lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.001) were seen in women without HIV, whereas no significant changes in CD4 frequency (52.5%–50.9%) or CD8 frequency (39.9%–41.4%) were observed in those with HIV. Peripheral T cells underwent similar activation across the cohort regardless of HIV status. Improved OS was associated with reduced frequency of IL-2–expressing CD4 T-cell subsets. In women living with HIV, enhanced OS was associated with the presence of proinflammatory CD8 T cells. CRT induces peripheral T-cell activation and distinct cytokine profiles that differ by HIV status. Despite similar OS, HIV infection may differentially affect immune response to CRT in women with well-managed HIV.&lt;/p&gt;Significance:&lt;p&gt;Chemoradiation affects the immune system of patients with cervical cancer with well-controlled HIV infection differently than those without HIV, yet their survival does not differ. This finding is an important step in understanding how management of HIV infection can modify cancer outcomes, particularly in settings with a high burden of HIV.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

  PublisherDOI

• Supplementary Tables 1-5 from Patients with Cervical Cancer with and without HIV Infection Have Unique T-cell Activation Profiles despite Similar Survival Outcomes after Chemoradiation

  2025-05-13

  supplementary-materialsOpen access

  &lt;p&gt;Supplementary Tables 1-5&lt;/p&gt;

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Figure 1 from Patients with Cervical Cancer with and without HIV Infection Have Unique T-cell Activation Profiles despite Similar Survival Outcomes after Chemoradiation

  2025-05-13

  preprintOpen access

  &lt;p&gt;Changes in the CD4:CD8 ratio before and after CRT. Frequency of CD4 and CD8 T-cell subsets by flow cytometry. Box plots overlay individual patient data points for CD4 frequency divided by CD8 frequency (CD4:CD8 ratio) over three longitudinal study time points (Initial, EOT, and M3) in the (&lt;b&gt;A&lt;/b&gt;) total cohort and (&lt;b&gt;B&lt;/b&gt;) cohort stratified by HIV status. Significance (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05) indicated by *; blue and green lines indicate statistical comparison between Initial and M3 time points for the cohorts with and without HIV, respectively. ns, not significant.&lt;/p&gt;

  PublisherDOI

• Supplementary Figure 1 from Patients with Cervical Cancer with and without HIV Infection Have Unique T-cell Activation Profiles despite Similar Survival Outcomes after Chemoradiation

  2025-05-13

  preprintOpen access

  &lt;p&gt;Supplementary Figure 1&lt;/p&gt;

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Prognostic value of quantitative HPV viral load in determining cervical cancer treatment response and recurrence

  NIH · $1.1M · 2019–2025

• Prognostic value of quantitative HPV viral load in determining cervical cancer treatment response and recurrence

  NIH · $254k · 2019–2024

Frequent coauthors

• Mohan Narasimhamurthy

  204 shared

• Yehoda M. Martei

  University of Pennsylvania

  196 shared

• Nicola M. Zetola

  Augusta University

  193 shared

• Sarah Rayne

  University of the Witwatersrand

  168 shared

• Doreen Ramogola‐Masire

  164 shared

• Danielle Rodin

  Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

  163 shared

• Priya Puri

  University of Pennsylvania

  146 shared

• Onyinye Balogun

  145 shared

Labs

• Surbhi Grover LabPI