Dr. Kirkwood’s research focuses upon melanoma immunobiology, therapy and prevention. His translational studies established the first effective adjuvant therapy of melanoma, and identified the immunological basis of this therapy, and are now probing the role of molecularly targeted agents (BRAF, MEK, and PI3Kdelta/gamma inhibitors) that may improve upon the efficacy of anti-PD1 immunotherapy, both in advanced melanoma and in the adjuvant operable high-risk melanoma settings. He has advanced the multimodal therapy of melanoma with surgery, stereotactic radiotherapy, and molecular antitumor agents, displacing chemotherapy in the management of melanoma. He is now pioneering novel clinical trial designs to assess the myriad potential combinations of recently-approved molecular and immunological therapies that are anticipated to be the focus of translational clinical research trials in melanoma for the next decade.

His laboratory is engaged in the molecular and immunohistological analysis of tissues obtained from local institutional, regional, national, and international trials of new therapy. Tumor tissues from patients participating in new modalities and combination therapies, neoadjuvant trials, and prevention interventions are probed using current immunopathological and molecular assessments of signaling pathways, and immune responses to melanoma. Dr. Kirkwood initiated the Biospecimen Repository of the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Program (1996-present, 7,000+ specimens) funded initially through his Specialized Program of Research Excellence 2008-2019, and more recently an endowment that have been promoted research by investigators within and outside the University of Pittsburgh, the Regional Melanoma Translational Research Consortium, the National Clinical Trials Network and the International Melanoma Working Group.