Taofeek Owonikoko

Taofeek Owonikoko, MD, PhD, MSCR, is a Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. A board-certified medical oncologist, Dr. Owonikoko specializes in the treatment of lung cancer, thyroid cancer and other cancers of the aerodigestive tract. He serves as Chair of the Lung and Aerodigestive Malignancies Working Group as well as Associate Director of the Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship Program in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology.

Dr. Owonikoko is Co-Chair of the Head and Neck Working Group for the Radiation Research Program in the NCI/CTEP Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis.

Dr. Owonikoko’s research interest is majorly in lung and thyroid cancer. He is particularly focused on the identification and clinical development of biomarkers and new treatment approaches to improve the standard of care for lung and thyroid cancer patients.

Dr. Owonikoko completed his primary medical training at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria in 1991. He was a resident physician in Anatomic Pathology at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria from 1995 to 1998. He later proceeded to Dusseldorf, Germany for further training in Anatomic Pathology at the Heinrich Heine University from 1998-2000 on an international training grant award from the prestigious German Academic Exchange Program. He received a PhD degree in Anatomic Pathology from the Heinrich Heine University in 2001 after which he proceeded to the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore for postdoctoral training in molecular imaging.

Research Interest

His research interests are in pre-clinical biomarker discovery in lung cancer and other solid tumor types, and translation of promising laboratory findings into clinical trials in collaboration with academic and industry partners. He has received extramural grant funding in support of his laboratory and translational research from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense and private foundations.

Clinical Interest

Dr. Owonikoko is a physician-scientist, board-certified in Medical Oncology, Hematology and Internal Medicine with a clinical focus on treating patients with lung cancer.

Education

• MD, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria, 1991
• PhD, Heinrich Heine University, Dusseldorf, Germany, 2000
• MS, Clinical Research, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 2014