Robert J. Motzer, MD

In addition to providing patients with the highest standard of medical care, I have led more than 75 clinical trials in patients with kidney cancer and testicular cancer, including national and international multicenter clinical trials. My research has helped to identify eight targeted drugs — sunitinib (Sutent®), pazopanib (Votrient®), axitinib (Inlyta®), temsirolimus (Torisel®),  everolimus (Afinitor®), nivolumab (Opdivo®), cabozantinib (Cabometyx®), and lenvatinib (Lenvima®) — as effective treatments for patients with advanced kidney cancer. Also, I developed a system to aid in the prediction of treatment outcomes for patients taking medications for advanced kidney cancer; this (“MSKCC”) risk system is widely applied by physicians internationally to direct the care of patients. In the area of testicular cancer, my patient care and research efforts focus on developing better treatments for patients with difficult-to-treat tumors.

On both a national and international level, I work to improve the quality and delivery of cancer care for individuals diagnosed with kidney cancer and testicular cancer. I chair the National Comprehensive Care Network Kidney Cancer Guidelines Panel. I have published more than 500 original articles, scientific reviews, chapters and abstracts, and given lectures worldwide, in countries that include Japan, China, Russia, Brazil, Germany, Spain and Turkey.

I am a recipient of the Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health; the Willet F. Whitmore Award for Clinical Excellence from Memorial Sloan Kettering; and the Schonfeld Award from the Kidney Cancer Association, a charitable organization dedicated to kidney cancer patient advocacy.