Professor honored for work in lung cancer research and treatment

Steven M. Dubinett, MD
2 min read

Dr. Steven Dubinett, a lung cancer researcher in the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been honored by the American Lung Association for his work on research and treatment of lung cancer.

Dubinett, a professor of medicine, pathology and laboratory medicine, and molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, was honored at the association’s Lung Force Gala for advancing academic, clinical and community partnerships designed to accelerate scientific discoveries and clinical breakthroughs in order to improve the health of people worldwide.

“It is such an honor to be recognized by an organization who has supported my research since day one,” said Dubinett. “This honor isn’t just about me, but highlights the work of our laboratory members and our collaborators for their critical insights and exceptional creativity, which are leading to translational discoveries for patients with lung cancer.”

Dubinett’s research in lung cancer began more than 30 years ago. Starting his research at UCLA in 1988, he focused on determining why people with lung cancer were not responding to immunotherapy.  The American Lung Association was the first organization to award him a grant so that he could study the nature of immune suppression in non-small cell lung cancer, the most common type of lung cancer.

His research continues to focus on immunity and inflammation in the development and treatment of lung cancer and is now supported through the Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team, as well as, grants from the National Cancer Institute, Department of Defense and Department of Veteran Affairs.

Along with this recognition, Dubinett has received awards for lung cancer investigation, including the American Lung Association Career Investigator Award and the Award for Scientific Achievement from the American Thoracic Society.

Dubinett is the chief of pulmonary, critical care, sleep medicine, clinical immunology and allergy at UCLA, and the associate vice chancellor and senior associate dean for translational research. He directs the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute.