معرفی
Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD is the Ensign Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and Professor of Pharmacology at Yale School of Medicine. He serves as Deputy Director of Yale Cancer Center and Chief of Hematology/Medical Oncology at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital. Dr. Herbst also directs the Master of Health Science - Clinical Investigation Track (MHS-CI) program and leads the Center for Thoracic Cancers.
Dr. Herbst earned his B.S. and M.S. in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry from Yale University (1984), followed by an M.D. from Cornell University Medical College (1991) and a Ph.D. in molecular cell biology from The Rockefeller University (1990). His clinical training included residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital and fellowships at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, with an additional M.S. in clinical translational research from Harvard University (1997).
As a nationally recognized leader in lung cancer treatment and research, Dr. Herbst pioneered the field of personalized medicine and immunotherapy for lung cancer. His work focuses on linking genetic abnormalities of cancer cells to novel targeted therapies and immunotherapies. He has served as principal investigator for numerous clinical trials testing agents in advanced lung cancers, leading to FDA approvals of several therapies including gefitinib, cetuximab, bevacizumab, and axitinib. His team was among the first to describe the PD-1/PD-L1 adaptive immune response and offer trials of PD-L1 inhibitors to lung cancer patients. The 2023 NEJM publication on osimertinib for resected EGFR-mutated NSCLC represents a major advancement in curative treatment approaches.
Dr. Herbst's recent publications reflect ongoing leadership in lung cancer research, with significant contributions in biomarker development, immunotherapy combinations, molecular residual disease detection, and novel clinical trial designs. His work spans basic science, translational research, and clinical applications, maintaining a strong focus on improving patient outcomes through precision medicine approaches.
- 2025 Giants of Cancer Care® award for Lung Cancer
- 2022 Friends of Cancer Research 25th Anniversary Honoree
- 2020 AACR Distinguished Public Service Award
- 2018 Team Science Award from ACTS
- 2016 Paul A. Bunn, Jr. Scientific Award by IASLC
- 2015 Herbert Pardes Clinical Research Excellence Award
- Fellow of American Society of Clinical Oncology
- Elected member of Association of American Physicians
Dr. Herbst has secured substantial research funding including two NCI Lung Cancer SPORE grants (2015, 2020), ASCO, AACR, and Department of Defense funding. He founded and led the Lung-MAP trial for ten years and currently serves as Vice Chair for the SWOG Lung Committee. His leadership extends to national policy through the National Academy of Medicine's Cancer Policy Forum, where he has organized meetings on personalized medicine and tobacco control. Dr. Herbst has authored over 450 publications and frequently presents at major conferences including ASCO and AACR.
As Deputy Director of Yale Cancer Center, Dr. Herbst oversees integrated clinical and research programs across multiple care centers in Connecticut. His leadership in the Developmental Therapeutics Program and Yale Center for Immuno-Oncology drives innovation in cancer treatment. The Center for Thoracic Cancers under his direction focuses on multidisciplinary approaches to lung and other thoracic malignancies, combining expertise from medical oncology, surgery, radiation oncology, pathology, and basic science to deliver comprehensive patient care and advance research.
