Mark G. Kris, MD, FACP, FASCO is an internationally recognized thoracic oncologist and clinical investigator whose work has helped transform the treatment of lung cancer and improve the quality of life of patients going through cancer therapy. He is emeritus member at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Dr. Kris received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University and his MD from Cornell University Medical College. After completing his residency in internal medicine at New York Hospital and a fellowship in medical oncology at MSK, he joined the MSK faculty in 1983. He served as Chief of the Thoracic Oncology Service from 1990 to 2013 and has held numerous leadership roles across MSK and national oncology organizations.
A pioneer in supportive cancer care, Dr. Kris led some of the earliest clinical studies demonstrating the effectiveness of modern antiemetic therapies for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. His research helped establish treatments that are the standard for cancer care worldwide and created the guidelines developed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).
Dr. Kris has also been a leader in advancing precision medicine for lung cancer. His clinical and translational research contributed to the identification and implementation of molecular testing for actionable genomic alterations in lung cancer, including EGFR mutations and other targetable drivers. Under his leadership, investigators in MSK’s Thoracic Oncology Service helped advance discoveries that laid the foundation for the routine use of molecular profiling and targeted therapies for all persons with lung cancer.
Throughout his career, Dr. Kris has remained committed to improving the daily lives of people with cancer and pursuing cures through clinical research, patient advocacy, and mentorship. He has authored more than 400 original scientific publications, led clinical trials that identified the cancer drugs in use today, helped make multimodality care routine, and mentored generations of oncology trainees and faculty members.
Dr. Kris led MSK’s Lung Cancers Program Project Grant (P01), working with MSK scientists to uncover new targets for therapy, from 2007 to 2025. His contributions have been recognized with the inaugural ASCO Humanitarian Award, the MSK Willet F. Whitmore Award for Clinical Excellence, and designation as an OncLive Giant of Cancer Care.
Dr. Kris is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.