Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD
- DIRECTOR, TISCH CANCER INSTITUTE
- PROFESSOR & CHAIR | Oncological Sciences
- PROFESSOR | Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology
Research Topics:
Cancer, Cancer Genetics, Chromatin, Diabetes, Epigenetics, Epithelial Cells, Gene Regulation, Growth Factors and Receptors, IGF-1 Receptor, Insulin, Insulin Receptor, Knockout Mice, Lipid Signaling, Mass Spectrometry, Microarray, Molecular Biology, Oncogenes, Phosphorylation, Protein Kinases, Protein Phosphatases, Tumor Suppressor Genes, TumorigenesisRamon E. Parsons, MD, PhD, is Director of The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Ward-Coleman Chair in Cancer Research. He is also Director, Mount Sinai Cancer, Mount Sinai Health System, and Chair of the Department of Oncological Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine.
In 2017, Dr. Parsons was appointed Director of The Tisch Cancer Institute—a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center—and Director of Mount Sinai Cancer after serving as the co-Leader of the Cancer Mechanisms program and the Deputy Director of TCI. Dr. Parsons joined the Icahn School of Medicine in 2013.
Previously, he was on the faculty of the departments of Pathology and Medicine at Columbia University. He was named Assistant Professor in 1995 and later became the Avon Foundation Chair for Breast Cancer Research in 2002. He was named Professor in 2007 and Leader of its Breast Cancer Program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2005. Dr. Parsons is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, American Society for Clinical Investigation, American College of Physicians. He was Chair of the AACR Special conferences committee for two terms from 2011-2017, which initiated and planned more than 75 scientific meetings on different cancer-related topics.
Dr. Parsons maintains an active laboratory and has received multiple awards for his research, including the 2011 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research. He is internationally recognized as an expert in the fields of cancer genetics and signal transduction with an emphasis on tumor suppressor genes including PTEN.
Videos
Multi-Disciplinary Training Areas
Cancer Biology [CAB], Disease Mechanisms and Therapeutics (DMT)Education
AB, Columbia University
MD, PhD, State University of New York at Stony Brook
Postdoctoral Training, Johns Hopkins University
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2017
Elected, National Academy of Medicine -
2015
Elected, Society of Scholars of the Johns Hopkins University -
2011
AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research
The Parsons laboratory seeks to investigate tumor suppressor and oncogene signaling pathways that are altered in human solid tumors using a multidisciplinary approach that includes genetics, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and pathology. Thematic topics that are currently under investigation include dissection of the regulation and function of the PTEN tumor suppressor, determination of the impact of altered PTEN signals in cancer progression and altered energy metabolism, molecular pathogenesis of breast carcinoma initiation and progression, and examination of epigenetic and chromatin reprogramming as consequence of altered cancer signal pathways. Past accomplishments include discovery of PTEN, elucidation of the frequent alteration of the PI3K/PTEN pathway in a wide variety of cancers, generation of mouse models of cancer due to PTEN mutation, and identification of PREX2 as a regulator of PTEN function.
Visit the Parsons Laboratory
Physicians and scientists on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai often interact with pharmaceutical, device and biotechnology companies to improve patient care, develop new therapies and achieve scientific breakthroughs. In order to promote an ethical and transparent environment for conducting research, providing clinical care and teaching, Mount Sinai requires that salaried faculty inform the School of their relationships with such companies.
Below are financial relationships with industry reported by Dr. Parsons during 2022 and/or 2023. Please note that this information may differ from information posted on corporate sites due to timing or classification differences.
Company Founder:
- Therapten, Inc
Consulting:
- MEC
Equity (Stock or stock options valued at greater than 5% ownership of a publicly traded company or equity of any value in a privately held company)
- Therapten, Inc
Industry-Sponsored Lectures: MSSM faculty occasionally give lectures at events sponsored by industry, but only if the events are free of any marketing purpose.
- Lurie Cancer Center: Malkin-Kraft Lecture; University of Southern California Cancer Center
Other Activities: Examples include, but are not limited to, committee participation, data safety monitoring board (DSMB) membership.
- Columbia University; Damon Runyon Foundation; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Royalty Payments:
- Cullgen, Inc; Therapten, Inc
Mount Sinai's faculty policies relating to faculty collaboration with industry are posted on our website. Patients may wish to ask their physician about the activities they perform for companies.