Yan Leyfman has been recognized as one of the top international researchers in oncology by the American Society of Hematology and American Society of Clinical Oncology. Most recently, he was recognized as the 2020 Emerging International Scholar in Immunology & Immunotherapy by the International Society of Immunology & Immunochemistry (iChem). Dr. Leyfman has contributed to the development of several anti-cancer therapies that have recently entered clinical trials and his successes have been recognized by such prestigious organizations as the Barry M. Goldwater Research Foundation, Sigma Xi, New York Times, USA Today, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and Harvard Medical School. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was recruited to join the Global COVID-19 Taskforce to serve as a Special Advisor for Immunology, Oncology and Cellular Therapeutics and was made Director of the Immunology Division, which produced a cohesive mechanism of action for SARS-CoV-2, a new prognostic assay to predict patient outcomes, and the first synergistic paradigm between the flu and SARS-CoV-2, termed "COVI-Flu" along with therapeutic interventions for both. This was published as the cover article in the journal, Shock. Yan was recognized as a 2020 New York State & City Manhattan Hero for his community service and research contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic and by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for research excellence. In June 2021, Dr. Leyfman presented the first interplay between cancer and COVID-19 with a promising therapeutic intervention at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting—the largest oncology meeting internationally.