Christopher A. Barker, MD

I am an active biomedical researcher. My goal is to develop more effective cancer treatments using radiation therapy. Prior to joining MSK, I was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Scholar in the Radiation Oncology Branch of the National Cancer Institute. There I developed an interest in combining cancer medicines with radiation therapy to make treatment more effective. Along with my colleagues in the Immunology Program and the Departments of Medicine and Surgery at MSK, I have developed several clinical trials. Many of these combine novel targeted and immune therapies with radiation therapy for different cancers.

Another major goal of my research is to find better ways to protect our patients from potential radiation therapy side effects. To do this, I work closely with the Medical Physics Department. Some of these new techniques are more convenient for our patients because fewer treatment sessions are required. We have several clinical trials in this area.

My research has been supported by the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the Lymphoma Research Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. I have authored chapters in major medical textbooks as well as peer-reviewed research studies in journals. These include the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Clinical Cancer Research, Radiation Research, and the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics.

I teach others about radiation oncology and skin cancer. I frequently give invited presentations on these subjects at national and international meetings.

In the Department of Radiation Oncology, I lead the clinical research program as Director of Clinical Investigation. This program enables the study of cutting-edge radiation treatments for cancers of all types, as well as targeted and immune therapies with radiation therapy. They offer a unique opportunity for our patients in their fight against cancer.