Physician-Scientist Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD, Named Director of Thoracic Medical Oncology at NYU Langone's Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center

Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD

Renewing a commitment to advance its reputation in lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, NYU Langone Medical Center has announced the appointment of physician-scientist Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD, as director of thoracic medical oncology at its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center.

In this new role, Dr. Gandhi will be tasked with building a robust program in lung cancer that focuses on advancing clinical care, increasing translational and clinical research, particularly in immune therapy, and recruiting additional clinical faculty.

“Dr. Gandhi’s appointment serves to strengthen our already outstanding reputation as a premier cancer center,” says Benjamin G. Neel, MD, PhD, director of the Perlmutter Cancer Center, one of only 69 NCI-designated cancer centers in the country. “She possesses exceptional clinical expertise and a passion for scientific inquiry. I expect our clinical, academic and research programs in thoracic medical oncology will thrive under her leadership.”

In addition, Dr. Gandhi will work closely with other highly respected experts at Perlmutter from other specialties, including thoracic surgery, radiation oncology and the basic sciences.

“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Gandhi to the NYU Langone community,” says Harvey I. Pass, MD, the Stephen E. Banner Professor of Thoracic Oncology and chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery. “Her clinical and research work is very strong, and she has dedicated her career to understanding what drives lung cancer and other similar malignancies. Our collaborative efforts will provide our patients with the most thorough care, from diagnosis through surgery through new and cutting-edge post-operative treatment.”

Dr. Gandhi is the most recent cancer expert to join a growing roster of top-tier researchers and clinicians who recently have joined NYU Langone and the Perlmutter Cancer Center. Last year, immunotherapy expert Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, formerly of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL, became deputy director of Perlmutter, head of experimental therapeutics and co-director of its melanoma program. Also last year, Andrew S. Chi, MD, PhD, joined Perlmutter as chief of neuro-oncology and co-director of NYU Langone’s Brain Tumor Center, following a distinguished career at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard Medical School.

Making Her Mark in Lung Cancer Care, Research

In February 2016, pancreatic cancer expert Alec Kimmelman, MD, PhD, joined NYU Langone as chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology, following tenure as associate professor in the Departments of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School and its major teaching affiliates, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In March 2016, Shohei Koide, PhD, assumed responsibilities as director of Perlmutter’s newly-established program in cancer biologics research. He had previously served as professor of biochemistry at University of Chicago. Also this March, it was announced that Douglas A. Levine, MD, would join NYU Langone this coming May as director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Perlmutter and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, following a distinguished career at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Prior to joining NYU Langone and the Perlmutter Cancer Center, Dr. Gandhi served at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), Brigham and Women’s Hospital and their academic partner, Harvard Medical School, where she held the title of assistant professor of Medical Oncology.

At DFCI, she was a member of the staff of its Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology and its Early Stage Drug Development Center. Dr. Gandhi’s research focuses on novel therapies in the treatment of lung cancer and biomarkers of tumor progression. In 2014, she served as lead investigator on a seminal phase-1 clinical trial study that reported that PD-L1 expression in lung cancer patients correlated with efficacy of anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors.

“NYU Langone has a reputation of delivering excellent patient-centric care,” says Abraham Chachoua, MD, the Jay and Isabel Fine Professor of Oncology and associate director of cancer services at the Perlmutter Cancer Center. “Dr Gandhi will bring cutting edge research that will significantly enhance our existing strengths and build new pathways to rapidly translate laboratory discoveries from bench to bedside. We feel confident this will lead to better patient outcomes.”

An alumnus of the University of Utah, Dr. Gandhi earned her PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology at University of California-Berkeley and her medical degree from NYU School of Medicine. She completed her residency in medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and served additional fellowship training in medicine and hematology/oncology at Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Dr. Gandhi has published extensively on lung cancer and other cancer-related topics in such prestigious journals as New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Cancer, Lancet Oncology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

“I am thrilled to join NYU Langone and to work with Drs. Neel, Pass and Chachoua, and the other respected faculty at the Perlmutter Cancer Center,” says Dr. Gandhi. “We share a similar vision of innovation for the Cancer Center, and I am confident that as a result of these efforts, we will see major scientific and clinical advances against lung cancer in the coming years.”