Dr. Christopher A. Barker

Dr. Christopher A. Barker, MD, is a board-certified radiation oncologist specializing in the treatment of skin cancer, including melanoma, and eye cancer using radiation therapy. He serves as Vice-Chair for Clinical Research in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), where he has been a member of the team since 2006. Dr. Barker sees patients at Memorial Hospital in Manhattan and MSK Westchester. Prior to joining MSK, he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Scholar in the Radiation Oncology Branch of the National Cancer Institute, where he developed a focused interest in combining cancer medicines with radiation therapy to improve treatment effectiveness. He is one of a small number of radiation oncologists in the country who concentrate specifically on skin and eye cancers, and he works within a dedicated multidisciplinary team to deliver advanced radiation techniques, including superficial radiation therapy, electronic and radioisotope-based brachytherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and proton therapy.

As a productive biomedical researcher, Dr. Barker's primary goal is to develop more effective cancer treatments through radiation therapy. Working alongside colleagues in the Immunology Program and the Departments of Medicine, Surgery, and Pathology at MSK, he has developed several clinical trials combining novel targeted and immune therapies with radiation therapy across different cancer types. A parallel focus of his research involves protecting patients from potential side effects of radiation therapy, achieved through collaboration with the Medical Physics Department to deliver more focused treatment and with the Dermatology Service to apply specialized skin imaging for precise radiation guidance. His research has been supported by the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the Lymphoma Research Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. He has authored textbook chapters and peer-reviewed studies published in journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Clinical Cancer Research, Radiation Research, and the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics.

In his leadership role as Vice-Chair for Clinical Research, Dr. Barker oversees MSK's Department of Radiation Oncology clinical research program, which supports the study of cutting-edge radiation treatments for all cancer types as well as combined targeted and immune therapy approaches. These clinical research studies provide patients with access to unique treatment opportunities. Beyond his clinical and research responsibilities, he is an active educator who regularly delivers invited presentations on radiation oncology and skin cancer at national and international meetings, contributing to the broader advancement of the field.