Dana-Farber's Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH, named Robert T. and Judith B. Hale Chair in Pancreatic Cancer

Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH, has been appointed Robert T. and Judith B. Hale Chair in Pancreatic Cancer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Wolpin is co-director of the Pancreas and Biliary Tumor Center at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center and associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Wolpin succeeds Charles Fuchs, MD, the first incumbent of the Chair, which was established in 2013.

“I am honored to serve as the Robert T. and Judith B. Hale Chair in Pancreatic Cancer at Dana-Farber and am extremely grateful for the Hale family’s generosity and vision in supporting work to tackle pancreatic cancer, the third-leading cause of cancer death in the United States,” said Wolpin.

“It’s an honor to appoint Dr. Wolpin to the Robert T. and Judith B. Hale Chair,” said Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, president and CEO at Dana-Farber. “He continues to expand and accelerate his research efforts in pancreatic cancer, translating discoveries into effective early detection and treatment options for patients.”

Wolpin obtained his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed residency training in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He completed fellowship training in medical oncology at Dana-Farber and returned to Brigham and Women’s Hospital to serve as chief medical resident. Subsequently, he received his Masters Degree in Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health. Wolpin’s research group is focused on understanding the factors that promote initiation and progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. These studies involve evaluation of blood-based circulating markers, germline alterations, and somatic alterations in hundreds to thousands of subjects. The near-term goals of this work are to translate cutting-edge laboratory science into approaches for early detection of pancreatic cancer and new treatments for patients with this malignancy.

Wolpin holds a number of leadership positions nationally and internationally, including Chair of the NCI Pancreatic Cancer Detection Consortium Steering Committee, co-Principal Investigator of the NCI Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Consortium, Medical Oncology Study Chair for ALLIANCE A021501, and Chair of the OICR Pancreatic Cancer Translational Research Initiative (PanCuRx TRI) External Review Committee. His research group has received funding from numerous sources, including the U.S. NIH/NCI, U.S. Department of Defense, ASCO Conquer Cancer Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Lustgarten Foundation, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and industry partners.

Wolpin’s clinical practice involves the care of patients with gastrointestinal cancers, with a particular focus on pancreatic cancer. He holds several leadership positions related to clinical expertise, including membership on the NCI Pancreas Cancer Task Force, Alliance/CALGB Gastrointestinal Cancer Committee, and NCCN Guidelines Committee for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.

“Facilitating collaborations across a highly dedicated, multi-disciplinary team of investigators, including William C. Hahn, MD, PhD, Nathanael Gray, PhD, Andrew Aguirre, MD, PhD, and the Hale Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research brings great hope for near-term progress against this difficult-to-treat disease,” Wolpin added.