Richard R. Furman, MD attended medical school at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine followed by Internal Medicine Residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He subsequently completed fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College. After fellowship, Dr. Furman performed laboratory based research on cognate and non-cognate immune interactions in CLL, focusing on NF-kappaB and B cell differentiation. Dr. Furman subsequently left the laboratory to pursue clinical research and patient care with an interest on the development of non-chemotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of CLL and lymphomas. He initially focused on thalidomide and lenalidomide, before working on novel monoclonal antibodies, BCR antagonists, and other small molecule inhibitors. Dr. Furman has played a key role in the development of idelalisib, ibrutinib, acalabrutinib, and venetoclax, as well as understanding and treating mechansims of resistance. Dr. Furman is currently the Director of the CLL Research Center and the Chair of the Lymphoma Program at Weill Cornell Medicine.