Yan Leyfman, MD profile page

Dr. Yan Leyfman is a rising star in oncology and AI, recently recognized as a 40 Under 40 Emerging Leader in Cancer at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the Immunology Division of the Global COVID-19 Taskforce, pioneering the first mechanisms for SARS-CoV-2 and COVI-Flu. His groundbreaking research on the cancer-COVID-19 interplay, presented at ASCO 2021 and published in BMC Journal of Hematology & Oncology, has significant clinical implications, earning him recognition as a 2022 International Hero in Healthcare by the Lymphoma, Leukemia & Myeloma Congress. Dr. Leyfman has made key contributions to advancing CAR T cell therapies, currently in clinical trials, earning honors such as the 2020 iCHEM Emerging International Scholar Award and the 2023 Young Scientists Phacilitate Advanced Therapies Award. Passionate about education and mentorship, he serves as a journal editor, mentors medical students in developing countries, and speaks on medical innovations. As co-founder and Executive Director of MedNews Week, he combats medical misinformation and expands global medical education, particularly in underserved regions. His impact has been recognized with the 2023 & 2026 ASCO Breakthrough Conquer Cancer Merit Award, 2024 Global Hero in Healthcare and 2025 CSNY Higher Education Trailblazer, with his work published in ASCO’s Journal of Clinical Oncology Global Oncology, Cell's Innovation Medicine, and ASH’s Hematopoesis. Most recently, Dr. Leyfman collaborated with Mount Sinai and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to develop an AI platform predicting patient responses to checkpoint inhibitors using basic clinical data, published in Nature Medicine.