Ghassan Abou-Alfa

Academic history

Ghassan Abou-Alfa, MD, obtained his degrees in Biology and Medicine from the American University in Beirut (AUB) and pursued postdoctoral training in medical oncology and hematology at Yale School of Medicine. His focus on gastrointestinal (GI) cancers developed during this period, shaping his career as a specialized Gastrointestinal Medical Oncologist with a particular emphasis on primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), New York, NY. He also works as a Professor of Medicine at Weill Medical School, Cornell University in New York, NY.

In addition to his medical qualifications, Prof. Abou-Alfa holds a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia University, New York, NY, complementing his clinical expertise with a robust understanding of healthcare management and leadership. He leads the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Hepatobiliary Task Force and serves on the NCI AIDS Malignancy Consortium Steering Committee.

Speaking on clinical trials in gastrointestinal cancer

Whilst Prof. Abou-Alfa focuses on primary liver cancer, he also conducts investigations into therapeutic strategies for various other gastrointestinal cancers affecting the pancreas, bile duct, and gallbladder. He has been involved in numerous clinical trials evaluating novel therapies and treatment approaches for gastrointestinal cancers, focusing particularly on improving patient outcomes and quality of life. With a main focus on small molecules as anti-cancer therapeutics, Prof. Abou-Alfa has worked with colleagues at MSKCC on the first steps of developing protein kinase inhibitors such as sorafenib and cabozantinib, which are now approved by the FDA. Currently, his team is involved in investigating sorafenib combined with doxorubicin. Prof. Abou-Alfa also conducts clinical trials with researchers around the world, particularly in Asia, helping to address diverse clinical scenarios and patient needs.