Acclaimed medical oncologist and researcher Benjamin Ebert, MD, PhD, appointed to lead the world-renowned cancer center

Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, an esteemed health care executive and renowned researcher, announced today that she will step down as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute President and CEO on October 1, 2024. She will assume the title of President Emerita. 

Glimcher has also served as director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and is the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The seventh president of Dana-Farber and the first woman to lead the organization in its 77-year history, Glimcher began her tenure in October 2016 with a relentless focus on improving outcomes for patients and accelerating cancer drug development. Dana-Farber is credited for playing a critical role in the development of 51% of all cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the past five years.

“Eight years ago, I began this journey with a deep appreciation for the extraordinary research that emanated from Dana-Farber since its earliest days and the clinical excellence that Dana-Farber provides patients and families,” said Glimcher. “And now, as I reflect on my tenure, I am intensely proud of what we have achieved in providing world class care for our patients, leading in innovation, and discovering new treatments and cures.”

Under Glimcher’s leadership, the Institute’s regional locations grew from four to seven, there was a 51% growth in patient volume and a 62% increase in grant and industry-funded research support, totaling $450 million in FY23. Last year, she announced Dana-Farber’s proposal to build a new 300-bed inpatient hospital dedicated to adult patients with cancer and a new collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She has also led The Dana-Farber Campaign, the most ambitious fundraising effort in the history of the Institute which will close at the end of September exceeding its original goal and providing critical funds in support of groundbreaking science, innovative new therapies, and institutional initiatives.

“This is the perfect time for me to pass the leadership of this remarkable institution on to the next generation, and return my focus to cancer immunology research," Glimcher said.

“Laurie Glimcher’s tenure as Dana-Farber’s president has been transformative and impactful for our patients, our physician-scientists, our workforce and the entire oncology community,” said Josh Bekenstein, Dana-Farber Board Chair. “Dana-Farber has been extremely fortunate to have had a President and CEO of Laurie Glimcher's scientific stature who has also proven to be a visionary, compassionate, and inclusive leader. Her patient-centered approach helped the Institute continue to improve the great care at Dana-Farber. I am incredibly grateful for her brilliant leadership.” 

With a deep commitment to addressing health equity, Glimcher expanded the Institute’s Cancer Care Equity Program that is at the forefront of efforts to reduce disparities in cancer outcomes for historically marginalized groups in the Greater Boston area and is a national model for translating cancer equity research into interventions. Dana-Farber currently has over 90 active clinical research studies and pilot programs which relate to the understanding and/or elimination of disparities in cancer.

Glimcher will remain at Dana-Farber, where she will continue both her pioneering research and her involvement in mentoring the next generation of physician-scientists along with other special projects.

Dr. Benjamin L. Ebert to Open New Chapter as President and CEO

Also today, Bekenstein, on behalf of the Dana-Farber Board of Trustees, announced that Benjamin Levine Ebert, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Medical Oncology and world-renowned medical oncologist and researcher, will serve as the next president and CEO of Dana-Farber, effective October 1, 2024.

“Ben has been a tremendously effective leader of our Department of Medical Oncology. As we plan for the future of cancer care and discovery, we are confident that he will take on the new challenge as he has all others—with integrity, thoughtfulness, diligence, and compassion.” said Bekenstein. “His leadership and experience will be extremely beneficial as we plan for the proposed new cancer hospital and clinical collaboration.”

In his role as chair of the Department of Medical Oncology, Ebert oversees more than 300 faculty members and more than 80 cancer research laboratories. His tenure has been marked by a period of dramatic growth in the number of faculty, clinical volume, and research funding. His initiatives include programs for early career faculty mentorship, faculty well-being, and increased multi-disciplinary collaboration. With mentorship as a core priority, he developed a leadership team of world-renowned physicians and scientists across clinical and research domains in oncology.

“I’m extraordinarily honored to be selected as the next president and CEO of Dana-Farber and to build on the exceptional leadership and accomplishments of Laurie Glimcher,” said Ebert. “Dana-Farber is truly a remarkable organization and a global leader in innovation, and in caring and advocating for cancer patients. Together with our executive leadership team, I will continue to advance a patient-first model as we open this new chapter.”

Ebert is currently the George P. Canellos, MD, and Jean S. Canellos Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, and an Institute Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He leads a research laboratory that focuses on the molecular basis and treatment of hematologic malignancies and its non-malignant precursor conditions, with a particular focus on myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and clonal hematopoiesis.

He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and the Academy of the American Association for Cancer Research. He served as President of the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2017. He received the William Dameshek Prize from the American Society of Hematology, the Meyenburg Prize for Cancer Research, the Sjöberg Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the Korsmeyer Award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He has received awards from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Program for mentorship.

Ebert received a bachelor's degree from Williams College and a doctorate from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in the laboratory of Sir Peter Ratcliffe. He completed his medical degree at Harvard Medical School, a residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a fellowship in hematology/oncology at Dana-Farber.

“With a very strong foundation built on Laurie’s extremely accomplished and successful tenure and now with Ben’s leadership, Dana-Farber will continue being a world leader in cancer care and research,” said Bekenstein.