Dr. Silvia Formenti is Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, Professor of Radiation Oncology and Medicine, Associate Director of Translational Research at the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, and Radiation Oncologist-in-Chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She is also the Sandra and Edward Meyer Professor of Cancer Research at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Dr. Formenti received her medical degree in Italy from the University of Milan. She is board certified in medical oncology, radiology, and radiation oncology. A recognized leader in radiation oncology and breast cancer research, Dr. Formenti’s groundbreaking work has transformed the paradigm in radiation biology, demonstrating the efficacy of combining radiotherapy with immunotherapy to control cancer cell growth in solid tumors. In combination with immune checkpoint blockade, focal radiotherapy can be used to recruit patients’ immune systems to reject their individual tumor, resulting in a form of personalized immunotherapy specific for each individual patient. She has translated preclinical work into clinical trials in metastatic solid tumors like breast and lung cancer, and in brain metastases. She is leading eighteen investigator-initiated clinical trials of immunotherapy and radiotherapy and is the Principal Investigator of several large federal grants and consortia. As a prolific researcher, Dr. Formenti has published over 320 papers recognized by high-impact journals, including Nature Medicine, JAMA, Lancet Oncology, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. She was honored to receive the ASTRO Gold Medal in 2019, the ACR Fellowship in 2022, and be elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2024. In 2026, she received the Robert F. Kallman Award from Stanford University and the Prize for Scientific Excellence in Medicine from the American-Italian Cancer Foundation.
