Robert Haddad, MD

Robert I. Haddad, MD is the McGraw Chair in Head and Neck Oncology, Chief of the Division of Head and Neck Oncology, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is an Institute Physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he leads one of the world's premier multidisciplinary head and neck cancer programs.

Dr. Haddad is an internationally recognized leader in head and neck cancer research, whose work has transformed treatment of locally advanced and recurrent/metastatic disease through novel systemic therapies, multimodality strategies, and biomarker-driven approaches. He has played a leading role in practice-changing trials including TAX 324 (establishing TPF induction chemotherapy), CheckMate 141 (introducing immunotherapy into recurrent/metastatic disease), and KEYNOTE-689, the landmark Phase III trial demonstrating benefit of perioperative pembrolizumab in resectable disease — fundamentally changing the standard of care.

His research spans perioperative immunotherapy, precision oncology, HPV-associated disease, circulating tumor DNA, and novel therapeutic combinations.

Dr. Haddad is deeply committed to multidisciplinary patient care, physician education, and mentoring. He teaches oncology fellows and residents at Dana-Farber and Brigham and Women's Hospital, and lectures widely on head and neck cancer, including at ASCO and AHNS. He has edited two textbooks on the disease.

Dr. Haddad has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and is consistently recognized among the world's leading experts in his field. In 2026, he was inducted into the Giants of Cancer Care® for his contributions to head and neck cancer.