Rogel Cancer Center leader elected to prestigious Institute of Medicine

Written by Nicole Fawcett

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center Deputy Director Eric R. Fearon, M.D., Ph.D., is among three University of Michigan faculty to become members of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

Fearon joins Arline T. Geronimus, Sc.D., from the School of Public Health, and James O. Woolliscroft, M.D., dean of the Medical School, to receive what is considered one of the highest honors in the health and medical fields. Those elected to the IOM are chosen by current members, in recognition of their major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health.

Fearon, the Emanuel N. Maisel Professor of Oncology and professor of internal medicine, human genetics and pathology, is a nationally recognized investigator in the field of cancer genetics. His laboratory pursues research to address how cancer gene defects contribute to the development and progression of colorectal and other cancers. A major goal of the research is to develop novel strategies for prevention, early detection, as well as treatment of colorectal cancer.

In addition to his role as deputy director, Fearon is also associate director for basic science research at the U-M Rogel Cancer Center. In these roles, he works to coordinate multidisciplinary research on the mechanisms underlying cancer development, along with efforts to translate the laboratory observations to new clinical applications for improved diagnosis and management of cancer.

Fearon also serves as the division chief of Molecular Medicine & Genetics in the Department of Internal Medicine. He co-directs the U-M Rogel Cancer Center's Cancer Genetics Research Program, which focuses on identifying genetic and epigenetic alterations in cancer, as well as on applying the emerging information for improvements in risk assessment, prevention, pre-symptomatic diagnosis, early detection and therapy of cancer.

With the election of Fearon, Geronimus and Woolliscroft, U-M now boasts 53 past and present members of the IOM.

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