Padmanee Sharma (born June 26, 1970) is an immunologist and oncologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She holds the position of professor of genitourinary medical oncology and immunology in the Division of Cancer Medicine where she specializes in renal, prostate, and bladder cancers.
Research
Sharma studies the treatment of cancer with immunotherapy. Her doctoral work demonstrated that cells expressing thymus-leukemia (TL) on their surface could be recognized by the Immune system and killed. In 2003, she was the lead author on a study of another tumor antigen, NY-ESO-1 in bladder cancer. She won an ASCO Young Investigator Award in 2003 to pursue this work.
Education
BA, Biology: Boston University (1990) MA, Biotechnology: Boston University (1991) MD, Medicine: Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA (1998) PhD, Immunology: Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA (1998) Clinical Residency in Internal Medicine: Cornell Medical Center-New York Hospital (2000) Clinical Fellowship in Medical Oncology: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (2004)
Honors
2018 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Tumor Immunology
2008 Prostate Cancer Foundation Challenge Award
2003 ASCO Young Investigator Award
2002 Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award
Personal life
Sharma was born June 26, 1970, in Guyana. She is married to longtime collaborator, James P. Allison and has three daughters from a previous marriage.