Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD, FASCO
Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD, FASCO, an internationally acclaimed medical oncologist whose innovations in immunotherapy have revolutionized melanoma treatment, has been chosen as the Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Wolchok played a pivotal role in the clinical development of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved immunotherapy ipilimumab for advanced melanoma. More recently, he designed and led a global phase III trial of immune checkpoint–blocking antibodies, aimed at reactivating the immune response to melanoma. These approaches have resulted in therapeutic success in multiple cancer types after initial studies in melanoma.
Dr. Wolchok, who has served as Chief of the Immuno-Oncology Service and the Lloyd J. Old/Virginia and Daniel K. Ludwig Chair in Clinical Investigation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. He succeeds Massimo Loda, MD, Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, who has served as Interim Director since this past year’s departure of Lewis Cantley, PhD, the center’s founding Meyer Director.
In his new role, Dr. Wolchok will lead an expansive, multidisciplinary research and clinical enterprise dedicated to translating groundbreaking discoveries about the underlying causes of cancer into cutting-edge treatment approaches and personalized therapies to improve patient outcomes. He will recruit cancer researchers and clinicians, with a focus on enhancing both faculty diversity and broadening the reach of health care to diverse patient populations. In addition, he will bolster the center’s educational programs to train generations of physicians and scientists.
Shared Leadership
Taha Merghoub, PhD
The institution has also appointed Taha Merghoub, PhD, as Deputy Director of the Meyer Cancer Center. A research scientist who has been Dr. Wolchok’s scientific partner at Memorial Sloan Kettering for over 15 years, he is also Professor of Immunology Research in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Merghoub, who was also recruited as the Margaret and Herman Sokol Professor of Oncology Research as well as Professor of Pharmacology, will lead a laboratory at Weill Cornell Medicine that investigates the development of immune-based therapies to treat cancer.
