Dr. Michael J. Morris

Dr. Michael J. Morris oversees the Prostate Cancer Section of the Genitourinary Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where medical oncologists, urologic surgeons, nuclear medicine physicians, radiation specialists, pathologists, radiologists, pharmacists, social-work teams, and nurse navigators meet together before every new consultation. Cross-disciplinary conferences review prostate-specific-membrane-antigen (PSMA) PET imaging, genomic and germline sequencing, bone-health indicators, cardiometabolic status, and each person’s stated goals so surgery, radioligand therapy, systemic treatment, rehabilitation, and supportive care proceed along a single, uninterrupted plan. Financial counselors confirm authorizations, while logistics coordinators arrange port placement, fertility preservation, and physiotherapy within the same scheduling window, sparing families multiple journeys. The agreed-upon roadmap is posted to the patient portal in plain language, and telemedicine check-ins keep individuals who live far from New York connected without extra stress. This collaborative structure reduces duplicate tests, shortens time to treatment, and offers men and their families the steadiness of a unified team through every stage of care. 

 

Bench discovery guides Dr. Morris’s clinical strategy. His laboratory explores PSMA biology, androgen-receptor resistance pathways, and biomarkers that predict response to targeted radiation. A flagship study known as VISION evaluated lutetium-labeled PSMA-617 in men with treatment-resistant metastatic disease, demonstrating that targeted radiation can deliver meaningful survival and symptom control while preserving marrow function. Ongoing protocols pair PSMA radioligand therapy with DNA-repair inhibitors, immune modulation, or adaptive dosing schedules informed by serial PET quantification, and each visit includes plasma collection for correlative science that links circulating tumor DNA with imaging response. By showing how molecular features can steer treatment choice, these investigations translate laboratory insight into therapies tailored to an individual tumor’s biology, giving patients access to options grounded in rigorously tested evidence. 

 

Education and outreach remain central to Dr. Morris’s mission. He mentors fellows through case-based seminars that emphasize clear, empathetic language and critical appraisal of evidence, and he co-authors national appropriate-use criteria for PSMA PET that help community clinicians decide when advanced imaging will meaningfully alter management. Public webinars explain radioligand therapy, genetic testing, and bone-health maintenance in everyday terms, and recorded sessions are captioned and translated so families worldwide can revisit key points. A tele-tumor board he helped create lets regional oncologists present complex cases for same-day feedback, reducing travel burdens for older adults and those with limited mobility. Recent collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering’s neuroendocrine program brings expertise to rare, aggressive variants that arise when prostate tumors change lineage under treatment pressure. By turning specialist knowledge into practical tools that travel beyond institutional walls, he empowers patients and caregivers to engage confidently in decisions that shape their journey.