George K. Philips
MBBS, MD, MPH
George K. Philips, MBBS, MD, MPH, is an attending physician specializing in genitourinary oncology at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC), MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (MGUH), and Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. In addition to his clinical responsibilities, he is an associate professor of medicine, Hematology-Oncology Division, Georgetown University Medical Center.
Dr. Philips’s research is focused on prostate, kidney, bladder and testicular cancer. His educational and leadership skills in trainee and faculty development have contributed to his success in cooperative, inter-institutional and network-wide clinical research. Dr. Philips’s research experience includes acting as principal investigator on trials of new therapeutic agents for prostate, kidney and bladder cancer. To promote participation in clinical trials, he founded a regional collaboration among specialists in radiation and medical and urologic oncology at academic centers throughout the Washington, DC, metropolitan region. He also engages in multiple research activities at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he founded the Interdisciplinary Prostate Cancer Research Group and Genitourinary Tumor Board and is a member of the Fisher Center for Familial Cancer Research.
At Georgetown University Medical Center, he serves as vice-chair of Faculty Development and Subspecialty Training Programs in the Department of Medicine. As director of Mentoring for the MGUH Department of Medicine, he collaborates to foster an environment conducive to academic success for a diverse faculty body composed of more than 80 junior and midlevel members. He also is chair of the MedStar Health Research Institute-Georgetown University Oncology Institutional Review Board.
Dr. Philips serves on the test question development committee for the National Medical Oncology In-Training Examination for fellows. He has been an invited speaker on prostate cancer prevention, support, and survivorship, at regional and national events, for audiences of healthcare professionals and the public. At MWHC, he leads the Genitourinary Medical Oncology program. In this capacity, he runs the Urologic Oncology Tumor Board and enrolls patients in clinical trials.
His research has been published in International Immunology, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Clinical Interventions in Aging and other peer-reviewed journals. He coauthored a chapter on “New Agents/New Targets for Renal Cell Carcinoma,” published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, and he is a member of the ASCO. His honors include a Best Teacher of the Year Award from the Hematology-Oncology Division, MGUH. Dr. Philips is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology.
His MBBS degree is from Grant Medical College, Bombay University, Mumbai, India. He then earned a medical degree from Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, India. He completed a residency in general medicine and a fellowship in hematology-oncology at the University of Colorado Hospital, Denver. His Master of Public Health degree is from Harvard School of Public Health, Boston.
Research Interests
Dr. Philips’s research interests include
- Bladder, prostate, kidney and testicular cancer
- Immunotherapy
- Radiopharmaceutical therapy
- Urologic oncology
- Clinical trials.
Selected Research
Dr. Philips is collaborating in a number of basic and translational studies on new therapies for genitourinary cancers, including immunotherapy and vaccines for bladder and prostate cancer.
His previous projects have included the following studies:
A randomized phase III study of neo-adjuvant docetaxel and androgen deprivation prior to radical prostatectomy versus immediate radical prostatectomy in patients with high-risk, clinically localized prostate cancer
Phase II trial of gemcitabine-eribulin in cisplatin ineligible patients with advanced or unresectable urothelial carcinoma of the bladder
A phase III, open label, multicenter, randomized study to investigate the efficacy and safety of MPDL3280A (anti−PD-L1 antibody) compared with chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial bladder cancer after failure with platinum-containing chemotherapy
Research Areas
- Oncology