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In a realignment of the division of hematology and oncology that will form two divisions from one, Ron Falk, MD, chair of the UNC Department of Medicine has appointed Jonathan Serody, MD, chief of hematology and Ethan Basch, MD, chief of oncology. Melba Ribeiro, MPH, will serve both divisions as associate chief for administration.

“The division of hematology and oncology has grown substantially under the leadership of Dr. Lisa Carey, managed as three groups: benign hematology, malignant hematology and solid tumor oncology,” said Falk. “As Dr. Carey transitions to her new role as deputy director of clinical sciences at Lineberger, we’ve determined that having two divisions, tightly linked, will help us more efficiently manage administration for these subspecialties and position them for future growth.”

“Drs. Serody and Basch are world class investigators that we are so fortunate to have had in our midst,” Falk said. “Their vision for the future of our now separate hematology and oncology divisions is awe inspiring.”

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Jonathan Serody, MD, is a UNC Lineberger member and the Elizabeth Thomas Professor in the UNC School of Medicine.

Serody serves as associate chief of malignant hematology, bone marrow transplant and cellular therapy, and is director of UNC’s Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Program. He also serves as the associate director for Translational Science at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Serody received his medical degree from the University of Virginia and completed his residency at UNC-Chapel Hill. This was followed by an infectious disease fellowship from 1989-1991 and a hematology fellowship from 1991-1993, later serving as a bone marrow transplant and oncology fellow at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Since 2008, Serody has served as the Elizabeth Thomas Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology. He has published more than 150 manuscripts and book chapters including manuscripts in Cell, Nature, Immunity, Cancer Discovery, Blood and the Journal of Clinical Investigation. His group was the first to demonstrate a role for T-cell trafficking in the pathogenesis of acute graft-versus-host disease and a critical role for B lymphocytes in the anti-tumor immune response. Additionally, he continues to be pivotal in the development of the adoptive cellular therapy program of UNC Lineberger. He has held leadership positions in the American Society of Hematology, served on advisory panels for the FDA and editorial boards of Blood and The Journal of Clinical Oncology. He is currently a consulting editor for the Journal of Clinical Investigation. He is strongly committed to providing cohesion and a sense of well-being to the new Division of Hematology.


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Ethan Basch, MD, MsC, is a UNC Lineberger member and the Richard M. Goldberg Distinguished Professor in Medical Oncology.

Basch is the Richard M. Goldberg Distinguished Professor in Medical Oncology, focused clinically on the treatment of men with prostate cancer. He leads a longstanding research program focused on cancer care delivery transformation and patient-centered care, and directs the Outcomes Research Program for UNC Lineberger. His group established that integrating patient-reported outcome symptom monitoring into routine cancer care improves patients’ quality of life, reduces emergency department visits, and lengthens overall survival. Basch developed a system for patient adverse event reporting in clinical trials, the PRO-CTCAE, that is now a standard in oncology drug development. He received his medical degree from Harvard, completed residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, and fellowship training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he remained on faculty before joining UNC in 2012. He is an associate editor at JAMA, has served on the Board of Scientific Advisors of the National Cancer Institute, is an elected member of ASCI, and currently serves on the Methodology Committee of PCORI and the board of directors of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Basch is deeply committed to changing care processes to improve the experiences of our patients, and to building infrastructure to support the wellness and academic successes of our faculty.