Xavier Llor, MD, PhD

Dr. Xavier Llor obtained his MD degree at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and his PhD in molecular biology at the University of Barcelona. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Chicago-Lutheran General Hospital Program and his GI fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 2014, Dr. Llor joined Yale University to become co-Director of the Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program at Yale’s Cancer Center, and Medical Director of the Colorectal Cancer Prevention Program. Recently he has been appointed Medial Director of Cancer Screening and Prevention at Yale’s Cancer Center.

A clinically active gastroenterologist, Dr. Llor’s research and clinical interests relate to colorectal cancer with an emphasis on genetics and disparities. He spearheaded and carried out three large prospective cohorts of colorectal cancer patients and controls. The first two, Epicolon I and II, were nationwide population-based studies in Spain that have produced over 50 peer-reviewed publications mostly addressing genetic factors implicated in CRC development. The most recent cohort, the Chicago Colorectal Cancer Consortium, was designed to address the influence of genetic and environmental factors on colorectal cancer disparities and has already resulted in a number of manuscripts, some still in preparation. Some important contributions from Dr. Llor’s lab include the description of the best diagnostic approaches to Lynch syndrome diagnosis; clinical and molecular characterization of mismatch repair proficient hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (type X); identification of distinct clinical and molecular features of colorectal cancers in young African Americans.

In 2014, Dr. Llor, along with Dr. Suzanne Lagarde, were awarded a Walgreens-Links of Care grant by the ACS, which has resulted in a strong partnership of the FQHC Fair Haven Community Health Care and Yale University to screen for colorectal cancer.

Dr. Llor has been involved in national scientific organizations for years. He is currently the Chair of the Education and Training Committee of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) and he has represented this society to the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable since 2014. At the NCCRT, he has been a member of the Advisory Committee of the Links of Care Program since 2016, and member of the Advisory Group of the Primary care module on family history/early onset colorectal cancer since 2017.

Through his membership in the NCCRT steering committee and other mechanisms, Dr. Llor is determined not only to increase colorectal cancer screening and prevention, particularly among the underserved, but to provide proper risk stratification so aspects such as genetic predisposition or environmental factors are appropriately addressed.