Dr. Hyunseok “Hyu” Kang, MD, MPH is a medical oncologist specializing in head and neck cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma, salivary gland cancers, thyroid cancers, and other rare tumors. He serves as Leader of the Head and Neck Cancer Research Program at the Stanford Cancer Institute and Leader of Head and Neck Medical Oncology. His research focuses on developing clinical trials with novel therapies, including immunotherapy, targeted agents, and antibody-drug conjugates, to improve outcomes for patients with rare and aggressive head and neck cancers.

A primary focus of Dr. Kang's research has been addressing unmet medical needs in rare malignancies, particularly salivary gland cancers. His research has also explored androgen deprivation and HER2-targeting therapies, expanding therapeutic options and clinical understanding in these challenging malignancies. Dr. Kang served as the Global Principal Investigator of a pivotal phase II study evaluating rivoceranib in recurrent or metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma, resulting in critical findings published in Clinical Cancer Research. He has also served as a key investigator for other clinical trials in adenoid cystic carcinoma using various agents such as a PRMT5 inhibitor, a gamma secretase inhibitor, and a Myb mRNA degrader. Dr. Kang is involved in early drug development efforts with a targeted protein degrader and antibody drug conjugates for adenoid cystic carcinoma at this time, and interested in novel target discovery and preclinical model development.