Zenta Walther, MD, PhD

Zenta Walther, MD, PhD, is the clinical director of the Yale New Haven Hospital Tumor Profiling Laboratory, and a pathologist who specializes in using molecular diagnostic techniques, especially next-generation sequencing, to analyze solid tumor tissues from patients. In particular, Dr. Walther looks for mutations within tumors that could be targeted with specific cancer drugs.

“I try to make personalized medicine possible for cancer patients,” Dr. Walther says. “And targeted therapies can often have fewer toxic side effects than conventional chemotherapy. I’m always eager to help patients find and enroll in available clinical trials.”

As an associate professor of pathology at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Walther participates in translational research in addition to her clinical work. “By studying the genetic alterations in tumors before and after targeted therapy, we hope to gain new understanding that will lead to better treatment regimens and, ultimately, better outcomes for cancer patients.”