Expertise:
Hematology
Immunotherapy
Speciality:
Thoracic Oncology
Gender:
Male
Language:
English

Gubens is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), where his research focuses on the development of new therapeutic combinations to better help his patients.

He has clinical expertise in bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, chest-wall tumors, thymic carcinoma, mediastinal tumors, small cell and non-small cell lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

At UCSF, he works with both the thoracic oncology and hematology programs.

Gubens joined the UCSF Cancer Center in 2011 following his fellowship at the Stanford School of Medicine, where he also earned his medical degree.

He completed a residency in internal medicine at UCSF. He received a Master of Science degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.

His research today includes designing clinical trials that study new drugs and treatment strategies. He has a special interest in translational medicine, which helps move lab-based findings into the clinic to benefit patients.

Importance of Immunotherapy

Gubens has played a role in several studies that have led to the increased use of Keytruda, an immunotherapy drug now being used by a growing number of lung cancer patients.

Although Keytruda has not been FDA approved yet for mesothelioma, it has been effective for a small percentage of mesothelioma patients in clinical trials and special-use exceptions.

Gubens often talks about his goal of developing more personalized treatments that can consistently help a larger percentage of patients.

In 2019, he co-authored several articles dealing with new immunotherapy treatment strategies for lung cancer that are now being tested for mesothelioma.

“It’s exciting to see the benefits of immunotherapy, and developing combinations that are effective in helping more patients,” Gubens said. “It’s an exciting area of research today.”