Maura L. Gillison

Maura L. Gillison, MD, PhD is Professor of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center and holds the Codessa Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. She is globally recognized as the scientist who established the causal link between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma—one of the most consequential discoveries in head and neck oncology of the past three decades. Dr. Gillison's seminal 2000 paper in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute demonstrated that a subset of HNSCCs harbor transcriptionally active HPV-16, and subsequent epidemiological and mechanistic work by her group confirmed HPV as an independent risk factor and defined a biologically and clinically distinct disease entity. She further validated p16 immunohistochemistry as a reliable surrogate biomarker for HPV status, enabling broad clinical adoption. Recognizing the favorable prognosis of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, Dr. Gillison has led landmark de-escalation trials including ECOG-ACRIN E3311 and NRG HN002, systematically testing whether treatment intensity can be safely reduced to minimize toxicity while maintaining cure rates. She has received numerous honors including election to the National Academy of Medicine.