Meet the 2025-2026 Adult Medical Oncology Fellow Adel Shahnam, MD

Adel Shahnam, MD | Kristen Ann Carr Fund Adult Medical Oncology Fellow

Dr. Adel Shahnam is a medical oncologist from Australia who completed advanced training at Westmead Hospital, followed by fellowships in Phase 1 clinical trials, sarcoma, and thoracic oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. He is currently an Advanced Oncology Fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center focusing on sarcoma and early drug development. With a strong academic foundation, including a Master of Public Health, Dr. Shahnam has developed a clinical and research focus on bone and soft-tissue sarcomas. His career goal is to become an academic physician–scientist, leveraging data, biomarkers, and novel technologies such as artificial intelligence to guide treatment and improve patient outcomes in rare cancers.

Current Research

Dr. Shahnam’s research focuses on leveraging real-world data to address the critical evidence gap in rare sarcomas, where prospective trial data are often limited. His work seeks to define treatment patterns and outcomes while exploring the role of immunotherapy, with particular emphasis on identifying biomarkers that predict response and resistance. By integrating large clinical datasets with biomarker analysis, his goals are to refine patient selection and guide the rational use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in sarcoma. 

In parallel, Dr. Shahnam is investigating novel survival surrogates and real-world endpoints to accelerate drug development and optimize trial design in rare cancers. He is also exploring the application of artificial intelligence to oncology research, using advanced analytics to improve prognostic modeling and uncover therapeutic patterns. Through this combined approach, Dr. Shahnam aims to generate evidence that directly informs clinical decision-making and expands treatment options for patients with rare sarcomas.