MD, PhD
Executive Director, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Chief of Oncology Clinical Services, UNC Health System
UNC-Chapel Hill
Head and Neck Oncology Program
Immunology and Immunotherapy Research Program
Area of Interest
Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD, is the Executive Director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and Chief of Oncology Clinical Services for UNC Health. He is a head and neck surgical oncologist, and leading expert in cancer immunotherapy.
Ferris is a pioneering cancer immunotherapist who develops and implements immunotherapy to stimulate the body’s immune system to eliminate and suppress cancer. He studies how immune cells in the tumor microenvironment can be harnessed to combat cancer and how tumor cells evade the body’s immunologic defenses.
He has led several practice-changing, prospective randomized trials — including those that led to the approval of immunotherapy for head and neck cancer — and tested treatment deintensification for good prognosis HPV+ head and neck cancer after transoral surgery. He leads a National Cancer Institute-funded immunotherapy laboratory.
Ferris currently 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. He is editor-in-chief of Oral Oncology.
Ferris has published more than 420 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters and was co-chair of the National Cancer Institute Head and Neck Steering committee for six years to facilitate prospective clinical trials. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the recipient of numerous research and teaching awards.
Awards and Honors
- Elected Vice President of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), term effective January 1, 2027
- Highly Cited Researchers (Top 1%), Web of Science, Clarivate Analytics, 2025
- Elected into National Academy of Medicine, 2025
News and Stories
Scientific symposium highlights advances in RNA research and cancer therapeutics
The 49th Annual UNC Lineberger Scientific Symposium focused on emerging discoveries in RNA biology and their potential to advance cancer research and treatment. The event also featured a poster session and the inaugural Earp Lecture, a new endowed lectureship.
Ferris elected as Vice President of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC)
Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD, will begin his term as the organization's vice president on January 1, 2027. SITC is the world’s leading professional society dedicated to advancing the science and application of cancer immunotherapy.
