Fox Chase Cancer Center Appoints Five New Endowed Chairs

PHILADELPHIA (May 14, 2019) — Fox Chase Cancer Center has appointed five new endowed chairs.

Private philanthropy is critical to the advancement of cancer research. With sincere gratitude to our donors for their generosity, we at Fox Chase Cancer Center steward our institution’s endowment for the betterment of all who face cancer. It is our pleasure to announce our newly appointed endowed chair holders, to whom we entrust the great responsibility of leading research that will take us further in our understanding of cancer.

  • Hossein Borghaei, DO, MS, The Gloria and Edmund M. Dunn Chair in Thoracic Oncology
    From his time as a fellow at Fox Chase, Dr. Borghaei has evolved into an accomplished faculty member who holds the lessons of his mentors close while now serving as a talented mentor himself. The chair he occupies was established in 2002 by Edmund M. Dunn and his late wife Gloria to support an outstanding leader in the field of lung cancer research and thoracic surgical oncology. This endowment has since expanded in scope to encompass thoracic oncology, following the departure of the chair’s predecessor, Walter J. Scott, MD, FACS, from our institution.

    Deeply respected by his colleagues and loved by his patients, Dr. Borghaei is known for his genuine compassion and his expertise in thoracic oncology. Time and again, his name has emerged as the most qualified candidate for this honor as he embodies what can result when an institution invests in top-tier talent.
  • Margie L. Clapper, PhD, The Samuel M.V. Hamilton Chair in Cancer Prevention
    With her dedication to basic science as well as her strong commitment to the Fox Chase Cancer Center mission, Dr. Clapper routinely demonstrates all of our institution’s highest ideals. This chair was established in 2011 by Mrs. Dorrance Hamilton to honor her husband and his more than 40 years of service to our Center, first as a member of the American Oncologic Hospital board and then as a member of the Fox Chase Cancer Center board until his death in 1997.

    The chair recognizes and supports an outstanding leader in cancer science and medicine who represents the highest standards of excellence. This chair has the added luster of having previously been filled by Paul F. Engstrom, MD, whose contributions to cancer prevention are remarkable—a legacy that we are confident Dr. Clapper will continue in stellar fashion.
  • Erica Golemis, PhD, The William Wikoff Smith Chair in Cancer Research
    Dr. Golemis essentially started her scientific career at Fox Chase more than 25 years ago and has become one of our most accomplished scientists, contributing to improved cancer diagnosis and treatment through cell signaling pathways. In addition, her impact is evident in her mentorship of the next generation of researchers, developing formal programming and personally nurturing the careers of future scientists.

    The W.W. Smith Chair, which she now holds, represents a powerful demonstration of confidence in our faculty by one of Fox Chase’s most generous and consistent supporters, The W.W. Smith Charitable Trust. Established in 1998, the chair supports an outstanding leader in the field of cancer research who exemplifies the highest standards of excellence in academic research. Its prestige has grown considerably over the years with the accomplishments of its former holders, who include Wafik El-Deiry, MD, PhD, FACP, Anna Skalka, PhD, and Kenneth S. Zaret, PhD, and, in a significant and public way, recognizes the high regard in which we hold the work of Dr. Golemis.
  • Mariusz A. Wasik, MD, The Donald E. and Shirley C. Morel, Stanley and Stella Bayster Chair in Molecular Diagnostics
    It is an honor to have the newest member of our senior clinical faculty, joining us from Penn, serving among this institution’s prestigious group of faculty chairs. The leadership and innovation he brings to Fox Chase merit our bestowing upon him an endowed chair that was established to raise the regional and national reputation of our molecular diagnostics program.

    Two of our most loyal philanthropists, Donald E. and Lauren Morel, established this chair in memory of their parents, and their support is vital to strengthening our efforts in molecular diagnostics and genomic testing as well as molecular hematopathology and translational research within our department of pathology.
  • Johnathan R. Whetstine, PhD, The Jack Schultz Chair in Basic Science
    A rising star in the epigenetics arena with a significant record of achievement, Dr. Whetstine recently joined us from Massachusetts General Hospital and richly deserves this appointment. His work has expanded the field with seminal discoveries that have major implications for understanding tumor heterogeneity and drug response. His dynamic nature and innate ability as a leader further propel his success. His endowed chair, which was established in 2002 by Fox Chase’s Board of Associates, honors pioneering geneticist Jack Schultz, PhD, and supports an outstanding leader in the field of basic science.

    Since its establishment, the chair has been filled by Beatrice Mintz, PhD, one of Fox Chase’s most consequential scientists and a member of our community since 1960. Dr. Mintz’s influence on the entire landscape of cancer research continues to reverberate, with scientific insights prompting new directions in developmental cancer biology and genetics. Dr. Whetstine had the opportunity to meet her at a recent gathering to celebrate her 98th birthday, and to appreciate the truly remarkable honor it is to carry on the legacy of this chair.

As endowed chair holders, these esteemed faculty members will have new resources to strengthen our efforts in various areas of cancer research and to implement more effective cancer treatments.

The support of our friends and donors who have made these endowments possible gives us the freedom to pursue yet-uncharted areas—to ask new questions, to explore new possibilities, and to compile new data that will push us further. The experience and expertise of our faculty drives us forward in making the next important discoveries.

We congratulate these endowed chair holders for this well-deserved honor, and look forward to seeing where their futures lead all of us who engage in the work of this great institution.

Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer 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 is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. 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 recognition for excellence six 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. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.

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