Dr. Barbara Burtness is Anthony N. Brady Professor of Medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine and Chief Translational Research Officer, Associate Director of Translational Research, Co-Leader of the Developmental Therapeutics Program and Division Chief, Head and Neck/Sarcoma Oncology at Yale Cancer Center. She is Director of the Yale Head and Neck SPORE. As chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Head and Neck Cancer Therapeutics Committee, she has led a program of multicenter trials studying novel treatment paradigms to improve the survival and functional outcomes of patients with head and neck cancer. She has conducted numerous phase I–III investigator-initiated trials and led the pivotal trial which led to FDA approval of pembrolizumab in first-line recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer. Dr. Burtness’ laboratory studies aurora kinase targeting in head and neck and lung cancers.