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As a medical oncologist at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, I specialize in treating people with challenging-to-manage cancers, including lung cancer, with a focus on advanced or treatment-resistant disease. My mission is to bring the most promising therapies directly to patients through clinical trials and innovative approaches to care.

I work within the thoracic oncology, developmental therapeutics (Phase 1), and solid tumor cellular therapy programs, where my team and I connect patients with cutting-edge treatments such as immunotherapies, targeted therapies, and cellular therapies designed to treat—and potentially cure—cancer. A major aspect of my work involves early-phase clinical trials, which enable patients to access transformative treatments years before they are made widely available. Currently, I lead numerous clinical trials investigating novel cancer therapies, including KRAS inhibitors, PRMT5 inhibitors, and engineered cell therapies such as CAR-T and TCR treatments. Additionally, I serve as sponsor-investigator for several innovative trials aimed at identifying new strategies for genetically defined lung cancers with KRAS, STK11, and KEAP1 mutations.

My research builds a bridge between laboratory discoveries and clinical application, transforming scientific findings into tangible therapies that benefit patients. I collaborate extensively with NYU Langone’s research community and industry partners to develop and conduct trials that advance cancer care while offering new hope to patients today. My academic contributions have been published in leading journals, including Journal of Thoracic Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research, Nature Communications, and Nature Reviews.

Education and mentorship are central to my professional life. At NYU Grossman School of Medicine, I direct the pre-clerkship oncology curriculum for medical students, teaching both the scientific foundations and the humanistic aspects of cancer care. My training includes internal medicine residency at Yale University, where I also served as faculty, along with postdoctoral research in cancer biology at the University of Pennsylvania and cancer immunology at Yale. In addition to earning a medical degree, I hold a master of science in clinical investigation.

I actively contribute to professional organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). I was honored to participate in the 2021 ASCO/AACR Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop and received the Frontiers Rising Star in Thoracic Oncology Award the same year. Most recently, in 2025, I was inducted into the IASLC Academy.

Beyond my work in the clinic and classroom, I am dedicated to advancing the field of oncology through collaboration, research, and compassionate patient care. Every day, I strive to provide patients with access to groundbreaking treatments while contributing to the future of cancer therapy.

If you would like more information about clinical trials or if I can assist in any way, please feel free to contact my office or email me at Salman.Punekar@NYULangone.org.