Sara Isabel Pai, MD, PhD

Sara Isabel Pai, MD, PhD, is a surgical oncologist who specializes in head and neck cancers associated with human papillomavirus (HPV), and in thyroid and parathyroid cancers/disorders. She uses a combination of surgical techniques and immunotherapy to improve patient outcomes.

“My personal goal for my career in medicine is to make a meaningful difference in people's lives. I strive to achieve this daily through patient care, as well as by impacting patients I may not meet personally through my research and the training of the next generation of surgeon-scientists.”

As a professor at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Pai’s research focuses on cancer immunotherapy. She is particularly interested in understanding how HPV evades the immune system and aims to develop strategies to reactivate the immune response against HPV-related cancer cells. Her work has led to the Food and Drug Administration’s orphan drug designation for pembrolizumab in treating recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), a rare condition caused by HPV.

Dr. Pai has led several investigator-initiated and industry clinical trials and has over 120 publications in peer-reviewed journals. She serves as Senior Editor for Cancer Research. Dr. Pai completed her medical and doctoral degrees at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, focusing on cancer immunology and vaccines. She completed her residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital.