Dr. Bernicker earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX in 1990. Subsequently, he completed his residency at Baylor Affiliated Hospitals and was chief medical resident at Ben Taub General Hospital from 1993–1994. Dr. Bernicker held a faculty appointment at Baylor College of Medicine as a clinical assistant professor from 1996–2012 before joining the Houston Methodist Cancer Center in January 2013, where he serves as director of Medical Thoracic Oncology. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Bernicker oversees the expansion of clinical trials at The Methodist Hospital relating to Thoracic Oncology with all stages of disease, a combination of SWOG trials, and industry trials of novel targeted agents. 

Dr. Bernicker’s research focuses on looking at different therapeutic approaches, such as targeted therapies and immunotherapies, in the treatment of lung cancer. By understanding how to identify patients at risk for relapse after surgery or those who can be spared the toxicities of chemotherapy, the immune system can be stimulated to preferentially destroy tumor cells, spare normal tissues, and improve patient survival along with the development of less toxic therapeutics. Eventually, the goal is to be able to offer new therapies and clinical trials to patients at Methodist with any stage of non-small cell lung cancer or small cell lung cancer.