Joaquim Bellmunt

Academic History

Joaquim Bellmunt, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Bladder Cancer Center within the Genitourinary Oncology Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA. He previously served as Director of the Bladder Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA. Dr Bellmunt earned his medical degree from the Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, and completed his residency and fellowship training in internal medicine and medical oncology at Vall d’Hebron Hospital, Barcelona, Spain.

Dr Bellmunt has played a central role in European and global bladder cancer research. He is a past Chair of the Advanced Bladder Cancer Committee of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and has served as consultant to the EORTC Genitourinary Group (EORTC-GU) since 2000. He co-founded and served as President of the Spanish Genitourinary Oncology Group (SOGUG) and is also an active member of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), and the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM).

Speaking on immunotherapy and novel systemic strategies in GU malignancies

Dr Bellmunt is internationally recognized for his leadership in the development of  systemic therapies for genitourinary cancers, particularly bladder and prostate cancers. His work spans early-phase drug development, biomarker research, and late-stage clinical trials, with a focus on immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and innovative combination approaches. He has played a key role in establishing immune checkpoint inhibitors as standard treatments in bladder cancer and continues to investigate mechanisms of resistance and treatment optimization. He has also been at the forefront of incorporating circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a prognostic and disease-monitoring tool. His current research explores the integration of PARP inhibitors in the management of BCG-unresponsive non–muscle-invasive and muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Through his translational and clinical work, Dr Bellmunt continues to shape the future of precision medicine in urologic oncology.