Roy  Herbst, MD, PhD

Roy Herbst, MD, PhD

Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital

Ensign Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and Professor of Pharmacology; Deputy Director, Yale Cancer Center; Chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital; Assistant Dean for Translational Research, Yale School of Medicine; Director, Center for Thoracic Cancers, Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital; Co-Principal Investigator and Community Outreach Co-Leader, Cancer Disparities Firewall Project

Expertise: Lung CancerClinical Trials For CancerImmunotherapyMedical Oncology

Dr. Herbst’s primary mission is the enhanced integration of clinical, laboratory, and research programs to bring new treatments to cancer patients. He has led the Phase I development of several of the new generation of targeted agents for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including gefitinib, erlotinib, cetuximab, and bevacizumab. More recently, he participated in the successful registration of pembrolizumab for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer, following the successful Yale-led KEYNOTE 10 study of the immune therapy drug commonly used to treat other cancers. He was co-leader for the BATTLE-1 clinical trial program, co-leads the subsequent BATTLE-2 clinical trial program, and served as a Co-program Leader of the Developmental Therapeutics Program for the YCC Support Grant. Dr. Herbst’s laboratory work is focused on immunotherapy angiogenesis; dual epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) inhibition in NSCLC, and targeting KRAS-activated pathways. More recently, he has explored predictive biomarkers for the use of immunotherapy agents. This work has been translated from the preclinical to clinical setting in multiple Phase II and III studies which he has led.
After earning a B.S. and M.S. degree from Yale University, Dr. Herbst earned his M.D. at Cornell University Medical College and his Ph.D. in molecular cell biology at The Rockefeller University in New York City, New York. His postgraduate training included an internship and residency in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. His clinical fellowships in medicine and hematology were completed at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, respectively. Subsequently, Dr. Herbst completed a M.S. degree in clinical translational research at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Dr. Herbst is an author or co-author of more than 275 publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts, and book chapters. His work has been published in many prominent journals, such as the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research, Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, and Nature. His abstracts have been presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the World Conference on Lung Cancer, the Society of Nuclear Medicine Conference, and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer.
Dr. Herbst was a member of the National Cancer Policy Forum (1998-2014) for which he organized an Institute of Medicine meeting focused on policy issues in personalized medicine. He is a member of ASCO and, as a member of AACR, he chairs the Tobacco Task Force. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and an elected member of the Association of American Physicians. Dr. Herbst is also a member of the medical advisory committee for the Lung Cancer Research Foundation and chair of the communications committee for ASCO and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.
He is currently the Vice Chair for Developmental Therapeutics for the Southwestern Oncology Group (SWOG) Lung Committee, Principal Investigator of the SWOG 0819 trial, and steering committee chair for the Lung Master Protocol (Lung MAP). Dr. Herbst was awarded the 2010 Waun Ki Hong Award for Excellence in Team Science by the Division of Cancer Medicine, UT-MDACC. The Alvin S. Slotnick Lecture Award for notable contributions to lung cancer research was bestowed upon him by Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center in 2014. That same year, the Bonnie Addario Foundation honored him with the Annual Addario Lectureship Award and the Bonnie J. Addario Excellence in Collaboration and Innovation Award. In 2015, the Clinical Research Forum presented his project “Predictive Correlates of Response to the Anti-PD-L1 Antibody MPDL3280A in Cancer Patients” its top Clinical Research Achievement Award in the United States for 2015. For his lifetime achievement in scientific contributions to thoracic cancer research, Herbst was awarded the 2016 Paul A. Bunn, Jr. Scientific Award by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer at IASLC 17th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Vienna, Austria. His work has been funded by ASCO, AACR, the United States Department of Defense, and the National Cancer Institute. In 2015, his team at Yale was awarded a lung cancer SPORE by the NCI, and he serves as a principal investigator for the AACR/ Stand Up to Cancer Dream Team grant.
EDUCATION & TRAININGMMS	Harvard University, Clinical Translational Research (1997)MD	Cornell University Medical College (1991)PhD	Rockefeller University (1990)BS	Yale University, Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry (1984)MS	Yale University, Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (1984)Fellowship	Brigham and Women`s HospitalFellowship	Dana Farber Cancer InstituteResidency	Brigham and Women`s HospitalHONORS & RECOGNITIONElected to the Association of American PhysiciansAAP (2015)
Addario Foundation Lectureship AwardBonnie Addario Foundation (2014)
Alvin S. Slotnick Lecture Award for notable contributions to lung cancer researchDana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (2014)
Best Doctors, New York Magazine(2014)
Honorary Professor, University College London Cancer CenterUniversity College London (2012)
Sikand OratorYale University (2011)
PROFESSIONAL SERVICENational Cancer Institute (2012 - Present)Thoracic Malignancy Steering Committee - National Cancer Institute

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18-Mar-2024 07:00:48 AM EDT

Yale Cancer Center Experts Present New Research at Leading European Oncology Conference

Yale Cancer Center researchers at Yale School of Medicine will present new cancer research at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Madrid, Spain, October 20 to 24. The annual meeting brings together clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates from all over the world. At ESMO 2023, oncologists will discuss new data and report updates on ongoing studies.
17-Oct-2023 03:05:20 PM EDT

AI more accurately identifies patients with advanced lung cancer that respond to immunotherapy and helps doctors select treatments

Treatment planning for lung cancer can often be complex due to variations in assessing immune biomarkers. In a new study, Yale Cancer Center researchers at Yale School of Medicine used artificial intelligence (AI) tools and digital pathology to improve the accuracy of this process.
08-Sep-2023 01:05:38 PM EDT

New immunotherapy treatment brings hope to patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Although immunotherapies have shown promise in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), many patients still do not respond well, and those who do may eventually develop resistance.
08-Sep-2023 01:05:13 PM EDT

Combination Cancer Therapies Can Shrink Tumors and Improve Survival Outcomes for Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

While pembrolizumab is an approved treatment for patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), only some patients respond to this therapy. Treatment failure, researchers say, is often caused by differences in the tumor microenvironment.
13-Jul-2023 11:00:13 AM EDT

Study Shows Osimertinib Improves Survival Following Surgery for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

A new study led by Yale Cancer Center shows improved rates of survival and reduced risk of recurrence in patients with non-small cell lung cancer taking osimertinib (TAGRISSO), a targeted therapy, following surgery. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common type of lung cancer, tends to recur when diagnosed at advanced stages, which makes treatment challenging.
07-Jun-2023 05:20:32 PM EDT

Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital Physicians and Scientists Presenting Latest Advances at 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting

Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital scientists and clinicians will present new research at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), June 2nd to June 6th at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. This year’s scientific program will feature more than 2,900 abstracts, covering all major diseases and research areas, including breast, lung, head and neck, gynecological, prostate, and gastric cancers.
18-May-2023 12:50:07 PM EDT

Connecticut Magazine’s 2023 “Top Doctors” issue recognizes 81 Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center physicians

The complete “Top Doctors” list appears in the May 2023 issue of Connecticut Magazine. Congratulations to this year’s “Top Doctors” affiliated with Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center.
01-May-2023 10:00:21 AM EDT

Yale Cancer Center experts to present new research at annual AACR Meeting

Yale Cancer Center (YCC) and Smilow Cancer Hospital (SCH) physicians and scientists are presenting research studies at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, April 14 to 19th.
10-Apr-2023 07:05:10 AM EDT

"This is a historic study, showing for the first time the benefit of screening to improve lung cancer survival. As a result, tertiary care centers like Yale can now begin to screen former smokers and carefully evaluate and monitor any abnormalities found."

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