Professor
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
I am the Douglas E Johnson Endowed Professor in and Deputy Chair of the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics (A Phase I Program) at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Clinical Medical Director of its Clinical Translational Research Center. I was a pioneering driver in forming one of the largest and most innovative Phase I clinical trial units in the world, with over 1,200 patients enrolled in clinical trials in FY2022 and over 280 active ongoing clinical trials. I have been Principal Investigator of ~110 research protocols supported by an array of sponsors, including the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program at the National Cancer Institute. I have published over 400 publications in peer-reviewed journals such as New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Nature. My cumulative H-index is 76.
I was heavily involved in the early development of cabozantinib, siltuximab, dabrafenib, trametinib, regorafenib, lenvatinib, larotrectinib, tesotumab vendotin, tepotinib, and sotorasib, ending in FDA approvals. I also helped found two companies: OncoResponse and Telperian. I am an expert on c-Met, NTRK, KRAS, and adoptive cellular therapy in solid tumors, and have led several national trials such as the c-Met amplified, c-Met exon 14 deleted, and NTRK arms of NCI-MATCH. I have been awarded the ASCO Young Investigator Award, the Jesse Jones Award, Best Boss Award at MD Anderson, Irwin Krakoff Award for Clinical Research, the Gerald P. Bodey Award for Education, Mentor of the Year Award, and Entrepreneurship Award in the Division of Cancer Medicine, MD Anderson. Finally, I have a consistent track record of mentoring clinical and postdoctoral fellows, scientists, and physician-scientists in Phase I/II clinical research.
