PITTSBURGH, July 25, 2011 – Mark A. Socinski, M.D., a leading expert in lung cancer research, has been appointed director of the Lung Cancer Section of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, co-director of the UPMC Center for Excellence in Lung Cancer and co-director of the Lung and Thoracic Malignancies Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI).
Dr. Socinski joins Pitt and UPCI on Sept. 1. He will be the first member of Pitt’s Department of Medicine faculty to have a joint appointment as professor of surgery in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
“Mark represents the perfect blend of translational and clinical expertise so necessary for the advancement of lung cancer care, research and education at our institution, and for transforming our center of excellence in lung cancer into one of the pre-eminent programs in the country,” said Nancy E. Davidson, M.D., director of UPCI and UPMC Cancer Centers.
Dr. Socinski is an internationally renowned expert in the development of novel chemotherapy agents and treatment strategies for advanced non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. He has played a leading role in developing aggressive and innovative combined-modality approaches to treat patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer, and he is at the forefront of integrating novel targeted agents with cytoxic chemotherapy regimens. Most recently, his clinical research has focused on incorporating personalized medicine and the use of molecular biomarkers in the treatment of lung cancer.
Dr. Socinski received his B.A. in zoology, M.S. in pathology and M.D. from the University of Vermont. He completed his residency training in internal medicine at the Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and completed training in medical oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Socinski joined the faculty of the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont and University of Vermont in 1989 and was then recruited to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1995, where he currently serves as professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology and director of the Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program.
He has served as an active member of several leading cancer organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, International Society for the Study of Lung Cancer and the American College of Chest Physicians. He co-chairs the National Cancer Institute Thoracic Malignancy Steering Committee.