Research Stories
Thoracic Surgeon Dedicated to Patients and the Next Generation
| June 4, 2026
Dr. Ioana Baiu is advancing cancer care at Ohio State and paving the way for women in surgery
Some people find their calling in a single moment. For Ioana Baiu, MD, MPH, it was watching a heart restart in an operating room when she was 16 years old. That spark set her on a path to becoming a thoracic surgeon, though the road wasn’t always straight.
Early in her training, Dr. Baiu was steered away from surgery and told it was incompatible with having a family or a life. She pivoted to pediatrics until three women surgeons at Stanford showed her it was possible, and she found her way back. Today, she’s one of a small but growing number of female thoracic surgeons in the country, and the only one at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). Recruited in 2024 with the support of Pelotonia funding, she specializes in lung, esophageal and chest wall cancers.
“If you want to do something, follow your heart and go for it. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a woman or a man, or what your background is, just find and follow your path,” she says. “Once you’re doing what you love, you’ll wake up every day and feel the excitement.”
Her research focuses on improving patient outcomes, identifying risk factors through AI and expanding awareness of lung cancer screening, including the fact that the disease increasingly affects women and non-smokers alike. The impact is real: consider the case of a 36-year-old runner who was diagnosed early, underwent robotic lung surgery with Dr. Baiu and returned to running shortly after.
Dr. Baiu made her Pelotonia debut as a Challenger in 2025 and plans to participate again in 2026. “I’ve heard so much about Pelotonia and am excited to take part in it,” she says. She’s no stranger to pushing limits. A competitive triathlete, she describes the sport as being much like surgery: it demands intense focus, mental toughness and the willingness to go beyond what you thought possible.
Read the full story on Health & Discovery.
This article appeared in the Spring 2026 issue of the Pelotonia Insider, which can be found here.
