Matthew Seiden Named President and CEO of Fox Chase Cancer Center

Abstract

The board of directors of Fox Chase Cancer Center has selected Michael V Seiden, MD, PhD, of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center to become president and chief executive officer of Fox Chase effective June 1, board chairman William J. Avery announced today. A board-certified medical oncologist, Seiden, 48, currently leads the gynecologic cancer program at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and is chief of the clinical research unit in Massachusetts General Hospital's Division of Cancer Medicine.

"I am honored and excited to be joining Fox Chase Cancer Center and working with a committed team of individuals in improving the lives of people with cancer now and in the future," Seiden said.

At Fox Chase, Seiden will succeed Dr. Robert C. Young as head of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, which treats some 6,500 new patients a year and employs more than 2,500 people. Last fall Young, 67, announced his intention to step down after serving 18 years as Fox Chase president. The board elected Seiden following a highly competitive national search.

"Michael Seiden is a strong visionary with a bold plan for Fox Chase," Avery said. "His impeccable leadership background promises remarkable success for Fox Chase in the coming decades.

"He is a compassionate clinician and an insightful scientist with an unwavering commitment to both patient care and cancer research that is matched by a keen business judgment. His passion for the abundant opportunities presented by new discoveries about cancer and new research and clinical technology assures that Fox Chase will continue to take the lead in innovative cancer treatment and prevention strategies and internationally acclaimed cancer research.

"The recruitment of such an outstanding clinical scientist is a stellar example of how a world-class cancer center can obtain the very best leaders," Avery added. "We welcome him to Fox Chase and to Philadelphia."

In addition to heading clinical research and gynecologic oncology programs, Seiden's present responsibilities include serving as associate professor of medicine at Harvard and physician coordinator of the cancer stem-cell project at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC). His research focuses on clinical and translational studies in ovarian cancer. He also trains and mentors fellows and junior faculty within the ovarian cancer program.

He is principal investigator for the ovarian cancer tumor biology laboratory at Massachusetts General and co-principal investigator of DF/HCC's NCI grant for a Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in ovarian cancer. His laboratory has also begun studies to identify and characterize the ovarian-cancer stem cell through SPORE and support through the Harvard Stem Cell Institute at Harvard Medical School.

Born in Queens, N.Y., Seiden received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, in 1980. In 1986, he simultaneously earned his M.D. and Ph.D. through the Medical Science Training Program in Immunology at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

Seiden completed his internship and residency in medicine at Massachusetts General, serving as chief resident in 1991. He was a fellow in medicine at Harvard, held a three-year clinical fellowship in medical oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and also completed a one-year bone-marrow transplant fellowship there. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular pathology at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital. Seiden joined the Harvard medical faculty as an instructor in 1991 and became an assistant professor in 1994 before becoming associate professor in 2003.

His recent honors include being named as Massachusetts Breast Cancer Scholar in 1995 and again in 2000 and 2001. He has successfully competed for a Clinical Interface Award funded through the Doris Duke Foundation. He has also been an invited lecturer at the international ovarian cancer forums sponsored by England's Helene Harris Memorial Trust in 2001, 2005 and 2007. Seiden is active in many professional organizations and editorial boards and serves on national and international committees and advisory boards.

Fox Chase Cancer Center was founded in 1904 in Philadelphia, Pa. as the nation's first cancer hospital. In 1974, Fox Chase became one of the first institutions designated as a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center. Fox Chase conducts basic, clinical, population and translational research; programs of prevention, detection and treatment of cancer; and community outreach. For more information about Fox Chase activities, visit the Center's web site at http://www.fccc.edu

For additional assistance, please call 1-888-FOX CHASE (1-888-369-2427)