CLEVELAND - Neal J. Meropol, MD, has been appointed Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Medicine at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Dr. Meropol, who is also Associate Director for Clinical Research at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, is an internationally-known colon cancer clinical researcher whose work spans the spectrum from cancer prevention to treatment. “Neal is a national leader in clinical research and we are so pleased to have him assume this leadership role in our renowned cancer and hematology programs,” says Richard A. Walsh, MD, Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center and the John H. Hord Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. “We look forward to the energy and advocacy he brings to advancing cancer care through high quality clinical trials research.” Dr. Meropol joined Case Western Reserve University and UH Case Medical Center as Section Chief of Medical Oncology in August 2009 from Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. He has an international reputation for his contributions in gastrointestinal malignancies, having conducted important studies of new treatments that have become standard of care, and his research to improve methods for helping patients communicate with their doctors and make decisions about their care. Additionally, Dr. Meropol holds a variety of national positions that impact cancer care and healthcare policy, including chair-elect of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Cancer Research Committee, and chair of a new ASCO task force on comparative effectiveness research. “Neal has an outstanding track record as a clinical and translational investigator and he’s a leader in the field of oncology,” says Stan Gerson, MD, Director of the Ireland Cancer Center of UH Case Medical Center as well as the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Asa and Patricia Shiverick- Jane Shiverick (Tripp) Professor of Hematological Oncology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “As Chief, he provides an excellent role model for the transfer of discovery to new patient treatments while being an exemplary physician focused on advancing patient-centered care.” Dr. Meropol received his MD from Vanderbilt University. He completed a residency at UH Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and a fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania. He began his academic career at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and moved to Fox Chase Cancer Center in 1998. Dr. Meropol also completed a sabbatical at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Founded in 1843, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is the largest medical research institution in Ohio and is among the nation's top medical schools for research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The School of Medicine is recognized throughout the international medical community for outstanding achievements in teaching. The School's innovative and pioneering Western Reserve2 curriculum interweaves four themes--research and scholarship, clinical mastery, leadership, and civic professionalism--to prepare students for the practice of evidence-based medicine in the rapidly changing health care environment of the 21st century. Nine Nobel Laureates have been affiliated with the School of Medicine.
Annually, the School of Medicine trains more than 800 MD and MD/PhD students and ranks in the top 25 among U.S. research-oriented medical schools as designated by U.S. News & World Report's "Guide to Graduate Education."
The School of Medicine is affiliated with University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, MetroHealth Medical Center, the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Cleveland Clinic, with which it established the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University in 2002. case.edu/medicine.