PHILADELPHIA (July 20, 2023) — Martin Edelman, MD, Chair of the Department of Hematology/Oncology and Deputy Cancer Center Director for Clinical Research at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been appointed inaugural Chair of the Department of Medical Oncology at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine (LKSOM) at Temple University.
“Collaboration and integration among our faculty and staff at Fox Chase Cancer Center and the larger Temple Health community is critical to our growth and ongoing success. This is why we are so pleased to announce this appointment,” said Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS, the Marjorie Joy Katz Dean at LKSOM.
Edelman joined Fox Chase in 2017 and will continue in his present roles there, as well as continuing to hold the G. Morris Dorrance Jr. Chair in Medical Oncology, said Robert Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS, President and CEO of Fox Chase.
“Throughout his tenure, he has collaborated effectively with our clinical, scientific, and administrative leadership to grow robust therapeutic, clinical research, and translational research programs in hematology and medical oncology while leading the department in aligning emerging national trends with the delivery of care to cancer patients,” said Uzzo.
In his new role, Edelman will develop a strategic vision for the department, considering the tripartite mission of LKSOM and Temple University Health System: clinical care, education, and research. This plan will guide the new department’s growth in medical oncology over the coming years to advance patient care; the cultivation of the next generation of physicians and other healthcare professionals; and achievement in grant awards, scholarly publications, and annual presentations.
In his day-to-day duties, Edelman will oversee faculty with responsibility for the recruitment, management, and retention of diverse professionals. He will provide ongoing mentorship to help steward the careers of faculty members. He will oversee training programs, both for the medical school and for continuing education of faculty, to promote academic excellence.
He will also oversee research programs to enhance performance; to provide input on research strengths and recommendations on research program directions; and to promote a culture of scholarship that encourages residents, fellows, and postdoctoral fellows to engage in research.
As hospital license chief of service for Fox Chase and Temple University Hospital, Edelman will uphold the highest standards of excellence in patient care with attention to compliance with medical staff bylaws and codes of professional practice. He will provide support for all hospital regulatory, quality, efficiency, safety, and infection control measures, as well as strategic planning, capital allocation, and fiscal, budgetary, and hospital operations.
A nationally recognized expert in the treatment and research of lung cancer, Edelman developed one of the most commonly used regimens for treating advanced lung cancer and has focused on the development of new agents and biomarkers to personalize lung cancer therapy.
He received his medical degree from Albany Medical College and completed residency training in internal medicine and a hematology/oncology fellowship, both at the Naval Hospital in San Diego. His professional experience includes more than 20 years of military service in the United States Navy Reserve, from which he retired with the rank of Captain.
About Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University:
Founded in 1901 as Pennsylvania’s first co-educational medical school, the Lewis Katz School of Medicine has attained a national reputation for training humanistic clinicians and biomedical scientists. The school attracts students and faculty committed to making a difference in patient care, research, education and public service — at home and across the globe.
The School of Medicine and Temple University Hospital (TUH), its chief clinical training site, provide care for patients from throughout the region seeking advanced tertiary- and quaternary-level care. In addition, TUH serves one of the most vulnerable populations in the nation, providing more free and under-reimbursed care than any other hospital in Pennsylvania.
With clinical training sites that include other member hospitals and specialty centers of the Temple University Health System and educational affiliates of the School of Medicine, medical students gain experience in a variety of urban, suburban, and rural in- and out-patient settings. They learn to provide culturally competent, interprofessional care to a diverse population of patients with simple conditions as well as highly complex ones.
The Lewis Katz School of Medicine is a school that prizes not just technical excellence but diversity, equality and inclusion. It teaches the true art and science of “doctoring.“ Moreover, its educational strategic plan, “Improving Health Through Innovation in Medical Education,” keeps pace with new medical knowledge and with emerging trends in care delivery.
The school’s home base in Philadelphia is a spectacular 11-story, 480,000 square-foot medical education and research building that features state-of-the-art facilities and technologies for medical education and research. With specialized research centers focused on population health, metabolic disease, cancer, heart disease and other strategic priorities, the school conducts investigations to break new ground – and trains future generations of researchers to follow suit.
On October 13, 2015, Temple’s medical school was officially dedicated as the Lewis Katz School of Medicine – a historic milestone in the school’s history. Thousands of people participated in events celebrating this change which, Dean Dr. Larry Kaiser said, “joins our school’s legacy to the values that Lewis lived by, and the values which we have always tried to instill in our students – hard work, dedication, service.”
The Lewis Katz School of Medicine is part of Temple University Health System, a $1.6 billion enterprise.
About Martin Edelman, MD:
“Dr. Edelman collaborates with our clinical, scientific, and administrative leadership to grow robust therapeutic, clinical research, and translational research programs in hematology and medical oncology while leading the department in evaluating emerging national trends in the delivery of care to cancer patients. In addition, Dr. Edelman is Deputy Cancer Center Director for Clinical Research, assisting a strong investigator-initiated clinical trials program.
A nationally recognized expert in the treatment and research of lung cancer, Dr. Edelman developed one of the most commonly used regimens for treating advanced lung cancer and has focused on the development of new agents and biomarkers to personalize lung cancer therapy. He has a particular interest in approaches that integrate surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy in the management of lung cancer patients.
Dr. Edelman serves on the Lung Cancer Committee of the Alliance (previously CALGB), the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, and the Thoracic Malignancies Steering Committee of the National Cancer Institute’s Scientific Review Group. In addition, he is the Medical Oncology Co-chair for the Lung Cancer Committee of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and is an active member and past chair of the Career Development and Ethics Committees of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).
Dr. Edelman has published more than 325 scientific articles, abstracts, and book chapters. In addition, he has served on the editorial boards or as an ad-hoc reviewer of numerous academic journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and currently serves as Associate Editor of the journal Lung Cancer.”