Taofeek Kunkle Owonikoko MD PhD (He/Him)

Endocrine Cancer, Head & Neck Cancer, Hematologic Oncology, Thoracic Cancer

Executive Director, Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center Senior Associate Dean of Cancer Programs – University of Maryland School of Medicine Associate Vice President of Cancer Programs – University of Maryland, Baltimore

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22 S Greene StreetBaltimore, MD 21201
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Overview of Dr. Owonikoko

Taofeek K. Owonikoko, MD, PhD, is the Executive Director of the University of Maryland’s NCI-designated Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is also the Senior Associate Dean of Cancer Programs at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine and is the Associate Vice President of Cancer Programs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

He is a translational Physician-Scientist, board-certified in Medical Oncology, Hematology, and Internal Medicine with a clinical focus on treating patients with lung cancer. His research interests span the spectrum of preclinical experimental therapeutics, biomarker discovery, and translation of promising laboratory findings into clinical trials. Furthermore, he serves as an elected Board Member and Treasurer-Elect of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He is additionally an Editorial Board Member for several highly regarded academic journals including Cancer, Frontiers in Oncology, Journal of Thoracic Disease, and Translational Lung Cancer Research. Dr. Owonikoko is a member of the American College of Physicians, American Society for Hematology, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, just to name a few. Lastly, he has been an NIH Study Section Member for the past eleven years.

Dr. Owonikoko has authored/co-authored over 250+ peer-reviewed original manuscripts in leading journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Cell, Science, Nature, JCO, Lancet Oncology, Cancer Discovery, and Cancer Cell. His work has been broadly cited with more than 49,000 citations and an h-index of 86. He has received peer-reviewed extramural grant funding in support of his research from the US National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, private foundations, and pharmaceutical partners.

Clinical Expertise

General medical oncology, Endocrine oncology, Head and neck oncology, Thoracic oncology, Lung cancer

Education & Training

UPMC Medical EducationFellowship, Hematology and Medical Oncology, 2005 - 2008
Graduate HospitalResidency, Internal Medicine, 2002 - 2005
Obafemi Awolowo University College of Health SciencesClass of 1991

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Certifications & Licensure

MD State Medical License 2023 - 2027
PA State Medical License 2005 - 2024
GA State Medical License 2008 - 2022
American Board of Internal Medicine Hematology

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

Dr. Larry E. Davis Excellence in the Academy – Leadership Award University of Pittsburgh Office of the Provost, 2023
Bruell Memorial Lung Cancer Lecture The Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, 2022
Michaele C. Christian Oncology Development Award and Lectureship National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Treatment Evaluation Program (CTEP), 2020

Clinical Trials

A Randomized Phase II Study of Cisplatin and Etoposide in Combination With Either Hedgehog Inhibitor GDC-0449 or IGF-1R MOAB IMC-A12 for Patients With Extensive Stage Start of enrollment: 2009 Jul 16
COMPLETED
PHASE2
Study of Everolimus (RAD001) in Combination With Lenalidomide Start of enrollment: 2010 Sep 09
COMPLETED
PHASE1
Pasireotide & Everolimus in Adult Patients With Radioiodine-Refractory Differentiated & Medullary Thyroid Cancer
COMPLETED
PHASE2

Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Single-Cell Profiling of Apoptotic Resistance in Patient-Derived Xenografts and Primary Circulating Tumor Cells Using TetherChip.
Darin E Gilchrist, Keyata N Thompson, Julia A Ju, David A Annis, Makenzy L Mull
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 2026-08-26
Comprehensive Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) from NRG Oncology/Alliance LU005: A Randomized Trial Of Chemoradiation +/- Atezolizumab In Limited-Stage Small Cell Lung...
Benjamin Movsas, Chen Hu, Kristin A Higgins, Helen J Ross, Salma K Jabbour
Journal of Thoracic Oncology. 2026-07-30
Brief Report: Multi-Institution Real-World Analysis Evaluating Safety, Efficacy, and ctDNA Dynamics After Tarlatamab in Patients With Previously Treated SCLC and LCNEC.
Graeme Fenton, Annie L Zhang, Sharon Zhong, Curtis Tatsuoka, Michelle Sittig
JTO Clinical and Research Reports. 2026-04-01

Journal Articles

Efficacy of Selpercatinib in RET-Altered Thyroid Cancers
Lori J Wirth, Jochen Lorch, Francis Worden, Marcia Brose, Taofeek K Owonikoko, Mark E Burkard, Todd M Bauer, Viola W Zhu, Nehal Lakhani, Victor Moreno, Manisha H Shah, New England Journal of Medicine
Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy with Weekly Versus Triweekly Cisplatin in Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: A Comparative Analysis
Rathi Pillai, Fadlo R Khuri, Nabil F Saba, Conor Steuer, Suchita Pakkala, Kristin Higgins, Jonathan J Beitler, Suresh S Ramalingam, Brandon Twardy, Kelly Schrapp, Taof..., Head & Neck
Targeted Sequencing and Intracranial Outcomes of Patients with Lung Adenocarcinoma Brain Metastases Treated with Radiotherapy
Gabriel L Sica, Matthew J Ferris, Walter J Curran, Shannon Kahn, Suresh S Ramalingam, Pretesh R Patel, Rathi N Pillai, Robert H Press, Jim Zhong, Conor E Steuer, Taofe..., Cancer

Authored Content

Efficacy of Selpercatinib in RET-Altered Thyroid CancersAugust 2020
Efficacy of Selpercatinib in RET-Altered Thyroid CancersAugust 2020
Efficacy of Selpercatinib in RET-Altered Thyroid CancersAugust 2020

Press Mentions

Nationally Recognized Pediatric Oncologist Named Director of Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Cell and Gene Therapy ProgramJuly 30th, 2026
Greenebaum Family Donates $5.5 Million to Advance Cancer Research and Patient CareApril 13th, 2026
Focused Ultrasound Combined with Chemotherapy Improves Survival in Glioblastoma PatientsNovember 23rd, 2025

Grant Support

Advancing Oncologic Research Communities in Health Equity (ARCH) K12 ProgramUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE2025–2030
Targeting polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) for treatment of small cell lung cancerUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE2022–2027
Neighborhoods, Stress and Cancer Outcomes Across the Cancer Control Continuum: Leveraging ecological theory and geospatial analytics to improve cancer prevention and outcomes (Project LEGO)UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE2008–2026
Neighborhoods, Stress and Cancer Outcomes Across the Cancer Control Continuum: Leveraging ecological theory and geospatial analytics to improve cancer prevention and outcomes (Project LEGO)UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE2008–2026
Neighborhoods, Stress and Cancer Outcomes Across the Cancer Control Continuum: Leveraging ecological theory and geospatial analytics to improve cancer prevention and outcomes (Project LEGO)UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE2008–2026

Professional Memberships

American College of Physicians - ACP
Member
American Society of Clinical Oncologists - ASCO
Member
American Society of Hematology - ASH
Member
American Medical Association - AMA
Member
International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)
Member

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