Brandon Imber, MD, MA

I received my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from Harvard University. I earned my medical degree at the University of California, San Francisco, dedicating an additional year to research focused on the aggressive brain cancer glioblastoma. My specialty training was at Memorial Sloan Kettering, where I also completed a clinical research fellowship in lymphoma radiation oncology. As a resident, I obtained specialized training in clinical research at the Harvard School of Public Health. 

I was drawn to oncology, and radiation oncology specifically, because of the strong bonds formed between patient and physician. A cancer diagnosis and the prospect of radiation therapy can be intimidating, overwhelming, and frightening. I believe that critical first steps are to communicate clearly to ease fears, provide full explanations of options, and answer questions. My team and I strive to be our patients’ unwavering advocates and aim to offer strong emotional and physical support at every step of the process.

When treating blood cancers like lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and leukemia, as well as certain brain tumors, I implement advanced radiation techniques including intensity modulated radiation therapy and image-guided radiation therapy to safely and effectively treat these cancers. For brain metastases and benign tumors, I often rely on highly focal modalities like MSK Precise™ stereotactic radiosurgery.

I am a strong believer in a multidisciplinary approach to patient care and am a member of several clinical teams, including the Lymphoma Disease Management Team and MSK’s Brain Metastasis Center. I work collaboratively with my patients’ other providers, including medical oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, and pathologists to develop a highly personalized care plan guided by the latest clinical evidence. I feel very strongly that patients and their families should be participants in this process to tailor the treatment plan according to specific goals and concerns.

In addition to caring for patients, I participate in several research programs which fall under two broad themes: improvement of outcomes and reduction of side effects for blood and brain cancer treatments. I am particularly interested in designing clinical trials which combine radiotherapy with other novel cancer therapies. For example, I am currently studying potential ways to combine radiation with highly innovative CAR T cell therapies to enhance treatment responses in aggressive lymphomas like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. To minimize side effects and increase patient convenience, I am studying how we can safely reduce the number of radiation treatments necessary for less-aggressive lymphomas like cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. I am also working closely with colleagues in neurosurgery and neuro-oncology to evaluate new technologies for brain brachytherapy, a specialized way to deliver radiation in the operating room very focally to the edges of a surgical cavity while sparing much of the surrounding healthy brain tissue. 

I feel privileged to practice at MSK given our ability to offer world-class treatment approaches including promising clinical trials which might not be available elsewhere. When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my family, brewing craft coffee, running in Central Park, and hiking in upstate New York.