URMC Welcomes New Chief of Hematology/Oncology

Innovative and respected hematologist Jonathan Friedberg, M.D., has been appointed chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology of the Department of Medicine and the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Friedberg, associate professor of Medicine and director of hematological malignancies clinical research at the Wilmot Cancer Center, has been on the faculty since 2002. He is a national leader in lymphoma care and research.

“Dr. Friedberg’s novel research and leadership within the lymphoma field makes him an excellent choice for chief of Hematology/Oncology,” said Mark B. Taubman, M.D., the Charles E. Dewey Professor of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medicine. “As chief of hematology/oncology, Dr. Friedberg will have the opportunity to grow the clinical enterprise, expand our clinical research programs and set new standards in patient care.”

“Dr. Friedberg has developed an innovative and effective management style that will permit him to lead the Division of Hematology/Oncology to even greater success in clinical care, research and education. His academic credential, in terms of training, funding, and publications are outstanding. He is the right person at the right time to assume the leadership of this important division,” said Richard I. Fisher, M.D., current chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology and director of the Wilmot Cancer Center. Fisher also serves as the Samuel E. Durand Professor of Medicine and URMC vice president.

Friedberg is a member of the lymphoma committee in the Southwest Oncology Group, the nation’s largest cooperative clinical trials group, and serves as principal investigator on many local and national lymphoma treatment studies for Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“I'm thrilled to have this opportunity to continue building the Division of Hematology/Oncology, in conjunction with the Medical Center strategic plan,” Friedberg said. “With our state-of-the-art facility, and recent large grant awards, I anticipate the ability to recruit faculty in many specialty areas of oncology, to provide patient care and education, as well as further our mission of clinical research.”

His research interests focus on development of novel therapies for patients with lymphoma. Most recently, he received the Scholar in Clinical Research Award from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for his work with an oral inhibitor of a protein called Syk, which demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of several different forms of lymphoma.

Friedberg has a lead role in the Wilmot Cancer Center’s Specialized Program of Research Excellence, a prestigious National Cancer Institute-funded program to foster translational research. He is leading the clinical trials program designed to study new therapies for lymphomas.

Friedberg earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. His postgraduate training included an internship and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also completed medical oncology and hematology fellowships at Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care. He earned an M.M.Sc. degree in clinical investigation from Harvard Medical School.