Prof. David McDermott Harvard Medical School, USA

Dr. McDermott has been involved in clinical and translational research in kidney cancer for more than 25 years. He runs a large academic practice that focuses on patients with kidney cancer and melanoma. He is Chief of Medical Oncology and Director of the Cutaneous and Immuno-Oncology Programs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In 2023, he was named as co-Associate Director of Clinical Science for the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC). As a clinical investigator, he has led numerous trials that have made a significant impact in the care of patients with kidney cancer and melanoma. As a translational investigator, his research focuses on immunotherapy, anti-angiogenic and molecularly targeted therapies. Dr. McDermott’s team has contributed to the rational application of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and immune check point inhibitors (e.g., CTLA-4, PD-1/L1 antibodies) for kidney cancer and melanoma. His research has been supported by competitive research grants including NIH SPOREs (Cutaneous Oncology and Kidney Cancer), a UO1 (“Creating a Translational Pipeline for VHL Mutated Malignancies”), a RO1 (“Clinical characterization of Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (KIM-1) as a Biomarker in Renal Cell Carcinoma”), several DOD awards, collaborative research agreements with industry, and from cooperative groups such as ECOG-ACRIN. Since 2012, he has been the Leader of the DF/HCC Kidney Cancer Program and Co-Leader of the DF/HCC Kidney Cancer SPORE (Co-PI- William Kaelin).