Siddhartha Mukherjee

Siddhartha Mukherjee is a physician, oncologist, and author who contributes to public discourse on human health, medicine, and science. He is known for his books, "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer," which won him the 2011 Pulitzer Prize, and "The Gene: An Intimate History," which was recognized by The Washington Post and The New York Times as one of the most influential books of 2016. "The Emperor of All Maladies" has been adapted into a documentary by filmmaker Ken Burns and included among Time magazine’s 100 best nonfiction books of the past century.

In addition to his writing, Mukherjee is a medical scholar. His studies on the composition and behavior of cancer cells have impacted modern medicine. His research has led to the development of treatments that reach beyond current pharmaceutical models toward new biological and cellular therapies. He is an associate professor of medicine at Columbia University and a staff cancer physician at the university’s medical center. His work broadens our understanding of healing, provides hope for many patients and families globally, and has earned him recognition, including being featured in the Time 100 list of most influential people. Mukherjee writes for The New Yorker and The New York Times, and his research is published in journals such as Nature, Cell, and the New England Journal of Medicine. His work focuses on the physiology of cancer cells, immunological therapy for blood cancers, and the discovery of stem cells in the skeleton. He was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, in 2014.

He has also explored the links between normal stem cells and cancer cells, investigating the microenvironment of stem cells, particularly blood-forming stem cells. Mukherjee's research has been recognized through grants from the National Institutes of Health and private foundations. His team has identified and characterized skeletal stem/progenitor cells known as OCR cells, which play a role in maintaining and repairing the skeleton. OCR cells can be transplanted into animals to regenerate cartilage and bone after fractures. Mukherjee's lab has examined the role of a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet in cancer therapy and has been involved in investigating CAR-T therapy for acute leukemia. His latest book is "The Song of the Cell," which describes the history and medical mystery of the cell and its importance in modern medicine. Mukherjee resides in New York City with his wife and daughters.