Dr. Robert Ferris, a head and neck surgical oncologist and pioneering cancer immunotherapist, is Executive Director of the University of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and System Chief of Oncology Clinical Services for UNC Health.

Dr. Ferris has been the principal investigator of multiple cancer immunotherapeutic trials, including several studies investigating treatment deintensification for HPV+ head and neck cancer after transoral surgery. He is the principal investigator of the Specialized Programs of Research Excellence in head and neck cancer. His translational research has generated fundamental insights into the mechanisms of anti-tumor immunity in the tumor microenvironment and tumor cell escape. His lab pioneered studies that demonstrated innate and adaptive immune responses induced by cetuximab, the EGFR-specific monoclonal antibody, in head and neck cancer. The team is also investigating immunosuppressive molecules, including immune checkpoint receptors PD-1, CTLA-4, TIM-3, and LAG-3.

Dr. Ferris has published more than 420 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters and was co-chair of the National Cancer Institute Steering Committee for Head and Neck Cancer. He is the immediate past president of the American Head and Neck Society. Dr. Ferris serves on the external advisory boards for MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center and the Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center. He is editor-in-chief of Oral Oncology and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research and Cancer Immunology Research, and as section editor for the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.

Dr. Ferris earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry with honors and distinction from UNC-Chapel Hill. He earned his medical degree and his Ph.D. in immunology from Johns Hopkins Medical School, where he also completed his residency, and was chief resident, in otolaryngology/head and neck surgery.