Dr. David Klimstra

Biography

David Klimstra is an internationally recognized leader in cancer pathology. He serves as the Professor and Chair of Pathology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and is the Chief Medical Officer at Paige AI. With a career spanning several decades, Klimstra received his MD from Yale University and completed his residency in Anatomic Pathology. He is a fellow in oncologic surgical pathology at MSK, where his research focuses on the pathologic characterization of tumors in the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and pancreas. He has a particular interest in precursors to pancreatic cancer and neoplasms of the neuroendocrine system. From 2012 to 2021, Klimstra chaired the Pathology Department, overseeing significant technological advancements in pathology, including the development of novel next-generation sequencing assays and tissue-based mass spectrometry. He co-founded Paige AI to incorporate computational pathology advances into clinical practice and led clinical implementations from August 2021 to June 2024. Klimstra has authored over 450 peer-reviewed publications related to pancreatic, hepatic, neuroendocrine, and gastrointestinal tumors and has served as an editor for the World Health Organization’s classification series on tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and endocrine organs. He has mentored numerous pathology fellows and junior faculty members and is known for his diagnostic expertise, having lectured extensively both in the U.S. and internationally.

Research Interests