Salman R. Punekar, MD

As an oncologist at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, I specialize in treating people who have sarcomas as well as lung cancers. Most of my patients have aggressive and advanced cancer, which is often difficult to treat. I take pride in caring for people who need the most help. I chose to specialize in oncology because to me the field represents an ideal intersection of ambition, innovation, and compassion.

I focus on early-phase clinical trials that offer novel treatment options for my patients. These often include immunotherapies, targeted therapies, and cellular therapies. I take the time to review each patient’s detailed history, laboratory testing, and imaging, so that I can provide them with the most appropriate treatment or clinical trial for the type of cancer they have been diagnosed with. Tailoring the care plan to each individual is precision medicine at its best.

Many of my patients seek me out because they are interested in taking part in early-phase clinical trials or have been referred to me by other oncologists who believe that they may be suitable candidates for such trials. To make innovative clinical trials available to patients, I work with academic and industry partners, including NYU Langone’s own world-class researchers.

My approach is like that of a coach—I lead my team to identify the best solutions for each person and then guide them through diagnosis and treatment, while maintaining our overall goal to advance cancer care for everyone.

I have a graduate degree in clinical investigation and have dedicated my career to the development of cancer-directed therapies. My work represents the latest cancer research and innovative clinical trials of new medications or treatment approaches for all tumor types. I am also a member of two prominent labs at NYU Langone. One is focused on cancer bioinformatics and studies artificial intelligence approaches to diagnose and treat lung cancer. The second, which is dedicated to the study of cancer immunobiology, evaluates new immunotherapy targets.

I am a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. In 2021, I was selected to participate in the ASCO/AACR Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop. I have completed two postdoctoral fellowships, one in cancer biology and the second in cancer immunology. I have published numerous journal articles, editorials, and book chapters.

If I can be of assistance, please contact my office, or email me at salman.punekar@nyulangone.org.