Dr. Samir N. Khleif is currently a Biomedical Scholar and a professor in Medicine and Oncology at Georgetown University Medical School and the Director of the Center for Immunology and Immunotherapy and the Loop Immuno-Oncology Laboratory. Dr. Khleif is a pioneer, a leading basic and clinical scientist and a Key Opinion Leader in the field of immunotherapy.

Dr. Khleif was an NIH Scientist for more than 20 years and served as Chief of the Cancer Vaccine Section at the National Cancer Institute pioneering many of the early concepts of immunotherapy.  He led the development of conduct of the earliest trials in neoantigen vaccines and the understanding of the mechanism of resistance to immunotherapy and immune combination. He previously served as the founding Director of the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University - the Georgia University System’s cancer center. He also served as the Special Assistant to the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) where he led the FDA’s Transformational Critical Path Initiative for Oncology, a project that reformed the process of cancer drug development in the US.

Dr. Khleif was detailed by the US government to serve as the founder and CEO/Director General of the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) in Jordan, the premier cancer center in the Middle East. And then, at the request of the King of Jordan and the US government, he developed the King Hussein Institute of Biotechnology and Cancer (KHIBC) and helped Jordan reform health care and higher education.

He is an international leader and KOL on global health where he serves in an advisory capacity on both governmental and non-governmental expert bodies. He also sits on many national and international committees that are driving global oncology and the immune-oncology field forward.

Dr. Khleif has been the recipient of many national and international awards; amongst others, the National Cancer Institute’s Director Golden Star Award, the National Institutes of Health Award for Merit, the Commendation Medal of the US Public Health Service, the Georgia State Distinguished Cancer Scientists and Clinicians Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Jordan Medical Association for one of the most influential physicians contributing to advancing health care in Jordan in 50 years.

He is the author of numerous peer review articles, the editor of 3 books, the author of many and the holder of more than 100 national and international patents and patent applications. His team currently works on exploring T cell plasticity and signaling engineering, mechanism of resistance of immunotherapy and strategies to reverse resistance, and development of novel immune-therapeutic approaches.

Dr. Khleif earned his medical degree from the University of Jordan, completed a residency in internal medicine from the Medical College of Ohio, and a fellowship in medical oncology from the National Cancer Institute.