Dr. Miguel Gonzalez Velez

Get to Know Dr. Miguel Gonzalez Velez

Dr. Miguel Gonzalez Velez is a thoracic oncologist at the John Theurer Cancer Center, New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive cancer center. He treats people with pleural mesothelioma, lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. He also serves as a member of the Drug Discovery and Phase I Research Program at Hackensack University Medical Center, where he focuses on bringing promising new therapies to patients.

He trained at Mayo Clinic’s Scottsdale campus, where he completed his fellowship in hematology and medical oncology. Before joining John Theurer Cancer Center, Dr. Gonzalez Velez worked as a medical oncologist at Dignity Health in Phoenix, Arizona. Earlier in his career, he served as an associate physician at the Fundación Instituto de Cancerología in Medellín, one of Colombia’s leading cancer centers and as an instructor of medicine at Universidad CES, where he taught clinical skills to second-year medical students. He also volunteered as a practitioner in rural Ecuador, where he provided care for hundreds of patients in an underserved community.

Specialties of Dr. Miguel Gonzalez Velez

• Clinical research
• Drug discovery
• Immunotherapy
• Lung cancer
• Medical oncology
• Phase I clinical trials
• Pleural mesothelioma
• Small-cell lung cancer
• Thoracic oncology

Medical Education and Experience 

• John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center (Medical Oncologist, Drug Discovery and Phase I Research)
• Dignity Health, Phoenix, Arizona (Medical Oncologist)
• Fundación Instituto de Cancerología, Medellin, Colombia (Associate Physician)
• Mayo Clinic College of Medicine & Science, Scottsdale (Fellowship)
• Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (Residency)
• Universidad CES, Medellin, Colombia (M.D.)

Awards and Certifications

• American Board of Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, 2023
• American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine, 2018
• Best Undergraduate Research, First Place and Distinction of Honor, Universidad CES, 2014
• Best Undergraduate Research, First Place and Distinction of Honor, Universidad CES, 2010
• Certificate of Honorable Mention, House Staff Research Awards, Johns Hopkins University, 2015
• Gallo Award, Outstanding Cancer Research, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, 2016

• Member, American College of Physicians
• Member, American Medical Association
• Member, American Society of Clinical Oncology
• Member, American Society of Hematology

Why Choose Dr. Miguel Gonzalez Velez for Pleural Mesothelioma

Dr. Gonzalez Velez’s role in the Phase I Research Program gives his patients access to emerging therapies and clinical trials not widely available elsewhere. This includes novel immunotherapies and CAR T-cell approaches for thoracic cancers. 

John Theurer Cancer Center partners with both the NCI-designated Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The center offers more than 200 active clinical trials and brings together 14 specialized divisions, all under one roof in Hackensack.

Dr. Gonzalez Velez earned the Gallo Award for outstanding cancer research at the 2016 Annual Retreat on Cancer Research in New Jersey for his work on pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma. He also received a certificate of honorable mention from Johns Hopkins University for his house staff research while at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

Publications of Dr. Miguel Gonzalez Velez 

• Gonzalez Velez, M. et al. (2023, May 26). Correction: Integrated analysis of next generation sequencing minimal residual disease (MRD) and PET scan in transplant eligible myeloma patients. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41408-023-00856-0
• Gonzalez Velez, M. et al. (2023, March 6). Integrated analysis of next generation sequencing minimal residual disease (MRD) and PET scan in transplant eligible myeloma patients. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41408-023-00794-x
• Gonzalez Velez, M. et al. (2021, July 22). Association of Concomitant Bone Resorption Inhibitors With Overall Survival Among Patients With Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer and Bone Metastases Receiving Abiraterone Acetate With Prednisone as First-Line Therapy. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2782169
• Gonzalez Velez, M. et al. (2021, January). Causes of Death After Neuroendocrine Tumors Diagnosis. Retrieved from https://www.ovid.com/jnls/pancreasjournal/abstract/10.1097/mpa.0000000000001723~causes-of-death-after-neuroendocrine-tumors-diagnosis-a-us?redirectionsource=fulltextview
• Gonzalez Velez, M. et al. (2020, June 15). Limitations in Clinical Trials Leading to Anticancer Drug Approvals by the US Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2767107