Howard A. Skip Burris III

Dr. Burris serves as president and chief medical officer of Sarah Cannon, as well as the executive director, drug development for the research institute. He is an associate of Tennessee Oncology, PLLC, where he practices medical oncology.

Dr. Burris’ clinical research career has focused on the development of new cancer agents with an emphasis on first in human therapies, having led the trials of many novel antibodies, small molecules, and chemotherapies now FDA approved, including ado-trastuzumab emtansine, everolimus, and gemcitabine. In 1997, he established in Nashville the first community based early phase drug development program, which grew into the Sarah Cannon Research Institute. He has authored over 400 publications and 700 abstracts. Sarah Cannon has now dosed over 350 first in human anticancer therapies and enrolls more than 3000 patients per year into clinical trials.

Dr Burris was recently elected president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), a professional society representing over 40,000 cancer physicians and researchers globally. He also currently serves on the Board of ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation. Additionally in 2014, Dr. Burris was selected by his peers as a Giant of Cancer Care for his achievements in drug development. Dr. Burris completed his undergraduate education at the United States Military Academy at West Point, his medical degree at the University of South Alabama, and his internal medicine residency and oncology fellowship at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. While in Texas, he also served as the Director of Clinical Research at The Institute for Drug Development of the Cancer Therapy and Research Center and The University of Texas Health Science Center. He attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in the US Army, and among his decorations, he was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster for his service in Operation Joint Endeavor.