Kathryn Lemberg, MD, PhD

Dr. Kathryn Lemberg is a pediatric oncologist and physician-scientist in the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Lemberg’s research investigates metabolism in childhood cancer, with a focus on improving treatments and outcomes for patients with pediatric sarcomas and cancer predisposition syndromes, including neurofibromatosis type I (NF1). She leads a translational research lab investigating the interactions between tumor metabolism and oncogenic signaling pathways in models of NF1-deficient and RAS-active cancers, including malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, and glioma. Dr. Lemberg’s group uses small molecule metabolite antagonists to perturb tumor metabolism and determine the consequences for tumor biology in cell culture and xenograft models. In addition, Dr. Lemberg investigates the interactions between systemic metabolism and tumor growth in animal models and retrospective cohorts of patients with NF1, with the goal of optimizing supportive management for this population of patients. She collaborates with clinicians and researchers at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere to carry out these studies.

Dr. Lemberg received her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and completed her graduate and medical training in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed a residency in general pediatrics at Johns Hopkins, and then went on to complete fellowship training in pediatric hematology/oncology in the joint Johns Hopkins-National Cancer Institute training program. She was a member of the Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery group for her postdoctoral fellowship training. Dr. Lemberg’s research has been generously supported by funding from several sources including a CureSearch for Children’s Cancer Young Investigator Award, a Hyundai Hope on Wheels Young Investigator Award, a Cannonball Kids’ Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Grant, a Tap Out Cancer Award, and a Neurofibromatosis New Investigator Award from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. In 2025 she received the Director’s Teaching Award for Pediatric Oncology at Johns Hopkins and was selected as a fellow for the NCI-funded Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer training workshop.