Howard Liebman

Howard Liebman, MD is Professor of Medicine and Pathology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, holding the Donald I Feinstein Endowed Chair in Hematology. He serves as an attending physician at LAC+USC Medical Center, USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Keck Hospital of USC.

Dr. Liebman's research focuses on thrombotic and hemorrhagic disorders, particularly the genetic risk factors for venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and arterial thrombosis. He is internationally recognized for elucidating connections between venous thrombotic disease and malignancy, and leads clinical trials in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) management. His lab has made seminal discoveries regarding infectious agents in ITP pathogenesis and secondary ITP mechanisms.

His publication record includes over 170 peer-reviewed articles, with recent work centering on thrombopoietin receptor agonists, complement system roles in refractory ITP, and cancer-associated thrombosis prevention. Current clinical trials include phase III studies of rilzabrutinib (LUNA3) and avatrombopag switching protocols.

Dr. Liebman serves on ASCO's Cancer and Thrombosis Guidelines Committee and advises the Platelet Disorder Support Association. He previously chaired the Massachusetts Governor's Task Force subcommittee on AIDS therapies and has served on NIH grant review committees.

As principal investigator, he leads multiple ITP clinical trials including studies on SARS-CoV-2 vaccination impacts, corticosteroid optimization, and thrombopoietin agonist tapering protocols. His laboratory investigates genetic thrombosis risks and malignancy-thrombosis interrelationships through tissue factor microparticle analysis.

His research group operates within the USC Hematology Division, collaborating with oncology and pathology departments on thrombosis biomarker validation and therapeutic development for immune-mediated cytopenias.