Parvesh Kumar, MD

Parvesh Kumar, MD, is internationally known for his work in lung cancer, head and neck tumors, and prostate cancer. He has been a principle investigator (PI) and co-PI on a wide variety of national (Cancer and Leukemia Group B and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group) and institutional clinical trials involving lung cancer, head and neck tumors and prostate cancer. He has also been the recipient of numerous federal and pharma industry research grants, including a current $1.22 million clinical trial award from the Department of Defense (DOD) for evaluating the role of docetaxel radiosensitization in high risk post-prostatectomy prostate cancer patients. Since 2005, Dr. Kumar has been named as one of the “Best Doctors in America.” In his role as associate director of clinical research, Dr. Kumar works directly on investigator-initiated clinical trials as well as assisting the cancer center in the clinical trials research infrastructure for the NCI P-30 grant submission. Prior to joining The University of Kansas Cancer Center in 2010, Dr. Kumar was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and Norris Cancer Center in Los Angeles, Calif. from 2003 to 2010. He was professor and first chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) in New Brunswick, N.J., from 1998 to 2003 where he was also an associate cancer center director for Radiation Oncology at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey/RWJMS.

A Kansas City native, Dr. Kumar completed his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering with honors from the University of Kansas. He received his Doctorate of Medicine degree from The University of Kansas School of Medicine, and completed his residency training in radiation oncology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

In addition to consulting for the Biological Irradiation Core Lab, Dr. Kumar is the Associate Director of Clinical Research, The University of Kansas Cancer Center, the Joe and Jean Brandmeyer Chair and Professor of Radiation Oncology, The University of Kansas Medical Center, and the Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Kansas School of Medicine.