Cory Abate-Shen

Cory Abate-Shen serves as the Robert Sonneborn Professor of Medicine and Professor of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Urology, and Systems Biology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. She holds leadership roles including former Chair of the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics and past Associate/Interim Director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Her educational background includes a BA in Psychology from Fordham University and a PhD in Neurobiology from Cornell University Medical College, followed by postdoctoral training at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology.

• Prostate development and cancer initiation mechanisms
• Lineage plasticity in neuroendocrine prostate cancer
• Bone metastasis pathways
• Bladder urothelium targeting and tumor suppressor functions
• Cross-species genomic regulatory networks

Her research leverages genetically engineered mouse models to inform clinical practice, notably in bladder cancer chemotherapy protocols.

• Sinsheimer Scholar Award
• Basil O'Connor Research Scholar
• NSF Young Investigator Award
• American Cancer Society Research Professorship
• AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Award
• AAAS Fellow
• National Academy of Sciences Member (2025)

She provides scientific leadership through the National Cancer Institute Board of Scientific Counselors, American Association for Cancer Research Board of Directors, and Breakthrough Cancer Scientific Advisory Board, while directing NIH-funded research programs focused on developmental pathways in genitourinary cancers.