HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine will establish a Department of Oncology, Dean Joseph I. Shapiro, M.D., announced this week.

Effective January 1, 2020, a new Department of Oncology will bring together more than a dozen oncology faculty currently housed within a handful of departments based on specialty.

By creating a dedicated department, the School of Medicine, alongside Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center (ECCC), will facilitate increased collaboration in research as well as patient care among its oncology faculty, provide more opportunities for faculty advancement and recruitment, and continue to grow advanced cancer care throughout the state and region. The move also creates more opportunities for expansion in the areas of graduate medical education, opening the door for future fellowships.

“Through this newly formed Department of Oncology, we are making an intentional, formalized shift toward team-based oncology care at Marshall and ECCC,” Shapiro said. “It will also lay a solid foundation for team research in cancer care.”

In his announcement, Shapiro also named urologic oncologist James C. Jensen, M.D., as chair of the newly formed department. Jensen, who also serves as chair of urology and medical director of the ECCC, joined Marshall’s faculty in 2006. He has performed numerous robotic kidney, bladder and prostate cancer procedures and was among the first 20 physicians in the nation to adopt robotic surgery as a full-time practice.

“This is an exciting development for patients seeking cancer treatment in our region as we forge a unified practice model with experience and expertise in all areas of oncology,” Jensen said. “We are pleased with the vision of our medical school and cancer center leadership to create this collaborative environment that will enhance the level of care for cancer patients and open us to new opportunities in research.”

Since ECCC, a joint effort between Marshall’s School of Medicine and Cabell Huntington Hospital, opened in 2006, the partnership has brought specialty cancer care in the areas of breast, gynecologic, medical, neuro-, orthopaedic, pediatric, radiation, surgical and urologic oncology to the region. 

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Media Contact: Sheanna M. Spence, Director of External Affairs, School of Medicine, 304-691-1639

Date Posted: Wednesday, November 20, 2019