David Shook

Dr. Shook was appointed Vice President of Clinical Development in 2022 and leads Nkarta’s clinical research strategy and execution. He has more than 10 years of clinical research and development experience and has authored dozens of scientific publications covering areas including the quantitation of minimal residual disease in acute myeloid leukemia, stem cell transplantation, as well as NK cell and T cell therapies for hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Prior to joining Nkarta in June 2020, he led multiple first-in-human cell therapy clinical trials, including pioneering the use of CD19 CAR NK cells. He was a fellow, fellowship director and faculty member at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where he conducted research in the laboratory of Dario Campana, MD, PhD, Nkarta’s scientific founder.

Dr. Shook received his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Purdue University. He is board certified in Pediatric Hematology & Oncology and General Pediatrics.