Internationally acclaimed medical oncologist Dr. Jedd Wolchok, whose innovations in immunotherapy revolutionized melanoma treatment, was recently recruited as the Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Created in 2014 with a $75 million gift from Sandra and Edward Meyer and the Sandra and Edward Meyer Foundation, the Meyer Cancer Center, in partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian, unifies cancer research throughout Weill Cornell Medicine and includes more than 140 core members, ranging from basic scientists to surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and other clinicians.
As director, Dr. Wolchok will lead an expansive, multidisciplinary research and clinical enterprise dedicated to translating groundbreaking discoveries on the underlying causes of cancer into cutting-edge treatment approaches and personalized therapies to improve patient outcomes. He will also expand the exemplary care delivered at the institution’s flagship Upper East Side Manhattan location and further enhance care for patients in Brooklyn and Queens.
Previously, Dr. Wolchok served as chief of the Immuno-Oncology Service and the Lloyd J. Old/Virginia and Daniel K. Ludwig Chair in Clinical Investigation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. As a clinician-scientist, he is a pioneer in a cancer treatment approach that harnesses immune cells to fight the disease, with a specific focus on melanoma. He investigates innovative immunotherapy strategies in laboratory models of melanoma and has served as the principal investigator of multiple clinical trials.
Dr. Wolchok played a pivotal role in the clinical development of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved immunotherapy ipilimumab for advanced melanoma and more recently designed and led a global phase 3 trial of the first combination of immunotherapies, known as immune checkpoint blocking antibodies, aimed at reactivating the immune response to melanoma. These approaches resulted in therapeutic success in multiple cancer types after initial studies in melanoma.
“An esteemed leader in oncology, Dr. Wolchok’s innovative research in immunotherapy has transformed the prognosis for countless melanoma patients and will undoubtedly have lasting implications for other types of cancer,” says Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine.“His expertise and vision will be crucial as the institution enhances cancer research and treatment efforts throughout the city, providing critical care and hope to cancer patients, and building on the center’s outstanding reputation as a leader in this field.”
“We are thrilled he will be heading the Meyer Cancer Center,” Dr. Choi adds.
