Dr. Razelle Kurzrock is a world-renowned leader in precision oncology and rare cancers research who currently serves as Associate Director of Clinical Research for the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center and Associate Director of Precision Oncology at the Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine. She holds the prestigious Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Endowed Chair of Precision Oncology and founded the Michels Rare Cancers Research Laboratories at the MCW Cancer Center. A graduate of the University of Toronto with her medical degree in 1978, she completed her internal medicine residency at Tulane University Hospital and Clinics and her medical oncology fellowship at the renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center. Prior to her current position at MCW, she established the Rare Tumor Clinic and led both the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy and Experimental Therapeutics Program at the University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center, building upon her earlier pioneering work founding the largest Phase 1 clinical trials department in the world at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Dr. Kurzrock's groundbreaking research in precision medicine has revolutionized the approach to treating rare and refractory cancers through molecular profiling and targeted therapies. She led the landmark I-PREDICT study published in Nature Medicine in 2019, which pioneered individualized N-of-1 matched combination therapies for patients with lethal malignancies, establishing a new paradigm in personalized cancer treatment. As principal investigator on more than 100 clinical trials and overseeing more than 500 early-phase trials, she has been instrumental in advancing eight life-changing cancer drugs to FDA approval, significantly impacting patient outcomes. Her work on the DART (Dual Anti-CTLA-4 and Anti-PD-1 Blockade in Rare Tumors) study demonstrated durable responses in rare cancer types previously considered untreatable, with findings published in high-impact journals including Molecular Oncology. With an exceptional h-index of 136 and more than 75,000 citations across her prolific publication record of over 950 scientific articles, her research has established the scientific foundation for modern precision oncology approaches.
Dr. Kurzrock's leadership extends beyond her own research as she chairs the Early Therapeutics and Rare Cancers Committee for SWOG, one of the nation's largest NCI-funded clinical trials cooperative groups, shaping the direction of cancer research nationwide. In recognition of her exceptional contributions, she and the DART study team received the prestigious National Cancer Institute Director's Award of Merit in 2022 for outstanding work in rare cancer research. She is widely recognized as one of the world's 25 most influential voices in precision medicine and consistently ranks among the most highly cited scientists globally, reflecting her profound impact on the field. As co-founder of CureMatch and board member of both CureMatch and CureMetrix, she continues to translate scientific discoveries into practical clinical applications that improve cancer treatment decision-making. Currently overseeing the development of a comprehensive Precision Medicine and Rare Cancers clinical initiative at MCW, she remains dedicated to advancing the frontier of personalized cancer care and improving outcomes for patients with the most challenging malignancies.
