PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On March 1, 2013, leading cancer center administrator and nationally recognized hematology/oncology expert Richard I. Fisher, MD, will assume a set of vital leadership roles at Fox Chase Cancer Center, a member of the Temple University Health System, and Temple University School of Medicine.

Currently, Fisher is vice president for strategic and program development at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where he is also the Samuel E. Durand Professor of Medicine. For the past eleven years, Fisher has served as director of the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and director of cancer services for the Strong Health System in Rochester, NY.

At Fox Chase Cancer Center, Fisher will become executive vice president, reporting directly to the president and CEO. He will also be physician-in-chief, responsible for overseeing and leading the seven clinical department chairs at the Center. Additionally, Fisher will be one of two deputy directors of Fox Chase's Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG), which supports the Center's status as one of 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation. At Temple University School of Medicine, Fisher will be senior associate dean for cancer programs, reporting to the dean of the school of medicine.

"All of us at Fox Chase Cancer Center welcome Richard Fisher to our leadership team and look forward to the additional momentum his extraordinary capabilities as a cancer center administrator, clinician, and researcher will bring to our efforts to prevail over cancer," says Michael V. Seiden, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Fox Chase Cancer Center.

"Clearly, Richard Fisher's proven talents as a leader in cancer medicine and science will enable us to maximize the opportunities brought forth by the recent addition of Fox Chase Cancer Center to the Temple University Health System," says Larry R. Kaiser, MD, FACS, dean of the Temple University School of Medicine, senior executive vice president for health sciences for Temple University, and president and CEO of the Temple University Health System.

"I am thrilled to be joining the leadership team at Fox Chase and Temple," says Fisher. "As one of the original NCI-designated Cancer Centers, Fox Chase has a tremendous history of contributions to the fight against cancer. Now it will become a model for incorporation of a previously independent cancer center into Temple's modern, comprehensive health system."

Fisher majored in chemistry and physics at Harvard University before being awarded his medical degree, cum laude, from Harvard Medical School in 1970. From 1970-1972, he was an intern and resident at Massachusetts General Hospital. Highlights among his many subsequent clinical and scientific postings include: immunology and oncology fellowships at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, from 1972-1975; director of the Cardinal Bernadin Cancer Center at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine from 1984-2001; director of the Hematology/Oncology Division at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (URSMD) from 2001-2009; and senior associate dean for clinical affairs and director of the Rochester Medical Faculty Group at URSMD from 2008-2011. He also serves as principal investigator for a Lymphoma SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) grant.

Fisher has also held a number of important leadership positions in the oncology community at the national level over the span of his career. Highlights among these include: Chair of the lymphoma committee of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) from 1985-present; deputy group chair of SWOG from 2005-present; and chair of the Lymphoma Research Foundation Scientific Advisory Board from 2008-2010. Other roles, honors, and awards include: Member of the Board of Scientific Advisors for the V Foundation from 2003-present; member of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) lymphoma steering committee from 2009-present; and chair of the NCI Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) review committee in 2010.

Fox Chase Cancer Center, part of the Temple University Health System, is one of the leading cancer research and treatment centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation's first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center's nursing program has received the Magnet status for excellence three consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. For more information, call 1-888-FOX-CHASE or 1-888-369-2427.

Contact:
Franklin Hoke
215-728-2700
franklin.hoke@fccc.edu

SOURCE Fox Chase Cancer Center