(New York, NY – March 12, 2019) — Fred R. Hirsch, MD, PhD, an internationally-renowned authority on lung cancer treatment and research, has joined Mount Sinai Health System as Executive Director of the newly-created Center for Thoracic Oncology in The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai and the Richard M. Stein, MD, Joe Lowe and Louis Price Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He will also be the Associate Director of Biomarker Discovery for The Tisch Cancer Institute.

Dr. Hirsch's career in lung cancer research spans more than 25 years and includes translational research, targeted therapies, and early detection of lung cancer. His research has helped identify and validate prognostic markers for lung cancer outcomes and biomarkers for personalized lung cancer therapies that illustrate how these therapies work and who is most likely to benefit from them.

The new Center will give lung cancer patients access to fully-coordinated care that smoothly provides all the services needed—screening, diagnostics, pharmaceutical, surgical, nutrition, psychological and social supportive services—for the best possible outcome. Patient care will be seamless to make treatment as easy as possible.

The Center will expand Mount Sinai's already-renowned lung cancer screening program to find lung cancer early—a critical time that gives patients the best chance at a cure. Patients will also have access to the latest research and clinical trials to give them the highest-quality personalized care available.

"We are very proud that Dr. Hirsch has decided to join us to lead our efforts in lung cancer. The new Center is an exciting step forward for coordinating a multidisciplinary approach for lung cancer and builds on a strong foundation already here," said Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD, Director of The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, Chair of Oncological Sciences and Ward-Coleman Professor in Cancer Research of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Dr. Hirsch comes to Mount Sinai from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver, where he was the Associate Director for the University of Colorado Cancer Center and a Professor of Medicine and Pathology. While there, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), the only global organization dedicated solely to the study of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, and led the organization to significant growth.

More People on the Move