Charles Fuchs Appointed Director and Physician-in-Chief at Yale's Smilow Cancer Hospital

Charles S. Fuchs, MD, MPH

Charles S. Fuchs, MD, MPH

Charles S. Fuchs, MD, MPH, has been appointed the new director and physician-in-chief of Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale Cancer Center (YCC) in New Haven, Connecticut. His new position will take effect January 1.

Fuchs is currently professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of the gastrointestinal oncology division and the Robert T. and Judith B. Hale Chair in Pancreatic Cancer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Fuchs will be replacing Peter Schulam, MD, PhD, who has served as interim YCC director for the past year and will continue in that role until Fuchs’ arrival in January. Schulam will be the chair of the department of urology and chief of urology at Yale New Haven Hospital.

“We are very excited to have Dr. Fuchs’ clinical expertise as the new leader of the Smilow Cancer Hospital,” said Richard D’Aquila, president of Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale New Haven Health, in a statement. “His breadth of experience in both the clinical and research arms of oncology will move Yale New Haven Health into the next phase of growth.”

Fuchs has spearheaded clinical trials that have resulted in FDA approvals of several new drugs. He plans to continue to expand clinical trials and science at YCC and will seek to align these efforts with discoveries that emerge across Yale’s research enterprise. His vision is to advance Yale’s capacity to do innovative clinical, translational, population, and basic research to further enhance Yale’s position as a leader in cancer prevention, biology and treatment, according to Yale Cancer Center.

“Charlie’s scientific renown and contributions, which include discoveries about the underpinnings of cancer, insights into prevention and developing new therapies, speak for themselves,” said Robert J. Alpern, MD Dean of Yale University School of Medicine, in a statement. “His considerable experience will be an asset to the cancer center as we build upon the solid foundation that’s already in place.”

Fuchs received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1986. He completed his medical residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he also served as chief medical resident, and completed his medical oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In 1994, Fuchs received his master’s in Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health. He has written over 550 scientific publications and, most recently, served as a member of the National Cancer Institute Blue Ribbon Panel Working Group.

His awards and honors include the Lee Nadler Extra Mile Award in 2007, the Tisch Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Research in 2007, and the George P. Canellos Award for Excellence in Clinical Investigation and Patient Care in 1999.

“The Cancer Center and Smilow have had impressive growth over the past five years,” Fuchs said. “I’m excited about the opportunity to continue to expand the breadth and depth of the clinical practice as well as the extraordinary cancer research ongoing at Yale to meaningfully improve the outcome of patients.”