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The WVU Cancer Institute continues to work toward National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation as it begins making investments in cancer care and research utilizing the $50 million commitment from the State of West Virginia announced last summer. Two new School of Medicine departments – the Department of Hematology and Oncology and the Department of Cancer Prevention and Control – will have a unique mission and focus that leaders say will set WVU apart from peer institutions. The departments will focus on cancer etiology, risk factors, and treatment; community engagement and outreach; rural health; and cancer health communications, outcomes, and survivorship.
Ashkan Emadi, M.D., Ph.D., board-certified medical oncologist and hematologist, has been named the inaugural chair of the Department of Hematology and Oncology. He will also hold the titles of physician-in-chief for Medical Oncology and Alexander B. Osborn Distinguished Professor in Hematological Malignancies Research. He comes to WVU Medicine from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he served as professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, the associate director for Clinical Research, and the director of Translational Genomics Laboratory.
Simultaneously, the process of reorganizing the existing Cancer Prevention and Control program into a new department of the same name is underway. The new Department will allow for expanded services to patients and communities, increased educational experiences for learners and trainees, and expanded research opportunities. Stephenie Kennedy-Rea, Ed.D., who has served as director of Cancer Prevention and Control since 2012, will be the inaugural chair of the Department.
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