Sunil Sharma, M.D., MBA, is HonorHealth Research Institute’s Chief of Translational Research and Drug Discovery, and director of the Research Institute’s Center for Translational Science. At the Center, Dr. Sharma’s multiple teams take basic scientific laboratory discoveries and translate them into new therapeutics for patients. Dr. Sharma also holds the Virginia G. Piper Distinguished Chair in Innovative Cancer Research, which carries an endowment to help fund Dr. Sharma’s innovative cancer research and clinical trials at HonorHealth Research Institute. Dr. Sharma’s research and clinical portfolio has expanded beyond his specialty of gastrointestinal cancers (colon, pancreatic) to include drug development — immunotherapeutic treatments in particular — for COVID-19, Alzheimer’s disease, memory performance, and other cancers, including breast and ovarian cancer. As part of the Institute’s partnership as the primary clinical affiliate with Arizona State University’s School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering, Dr. Sharma also holds a faculty appointment as an ASU Research Professor. Previously, Dr. Sharma was at the Phoenix-based Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), where he served as Deputy Director of Clinical Sciences, Professor, Head of Applied Cancer Research and Drug Discovery Division, and Physician-In-Chief. Prior to HonorHealth, Dr. Sharma served as: Deputy Director of Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) in Salt Lake City, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center; Chief of the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Utah; a physician in the Division of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and built a clinical trials program at the Nevada Cancer Institute. Dr. Sharma earned his medical degree at the University of Delhi in New Delhi, India, and his MBA from University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Sunil Sharma, M.D., MBA, FACP
Biography
- Virginia G. Piper Distinguished Chair in Innovative Cancer Research
- Healthcare Researcher of the Year, AZ Business Magazine
- Healthcare Power List, Phoenix Magazine
- American Board of Internal Medicine — Medical Oncology
- Fellow of the American College of Physicians
Research Interests & Focus
Dr. Sharma’s research focuses on the molecular and clinical characterization of gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary cancers with a particular emphasis on colon, liver, pancreatic and neuroendocrine tumors. His aim is to uncover the underlying mechanisms driving tumor development, progression, and resistance to therapy, integrating genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic analysis to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Through translational approaches, Dr. Sharma’s work seeks to bridge laboratory findings with clinical applications, ultimately improving diagnosis, treatment strategies and outcomes for patients affected by these aggressive malignancies.