Jens Hillengass Joins Roswell Park as new Chief of Myeloma

Jens Hillengass, MD

Jens Hillengass, MD

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has selected Jens Hillengass, MD, as its new Chief of Myeloma. Hillengass will continue his research on hematologic malignancies in his new position.

His research will focus on multiple myeloma and precursor diseases. Hillengass is currently investigating the effects of physical activity on patient pain and hopes to discover new ways to improve quality of life for patients with this multiple myeloma.

Previously, Hillengass was the Deputy Chief of the Section of Multiple Myeloma at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. He also served as an attending physician and associate professor while leading research in Germany’s largest autologous stem cell transplant program.

Hillengass has worked in this field for over 15 years and has proven himself an expert in diagnostics and the treatment of monoclonal plasma cell disorders, autologous stem cell transplantation, and hemato-oncological imaging.

Early detection and characterization of monoclonal plasma cell disorders are special interests for his research, as well as imaging of bone marrow in monoclonal plasma cell diseases.

“In terms of research to move the field forward,” Hillengass says, “I think we have a real opportunity to gain significant new insights by utilizing new imaging tools and analyzing the findings with ‘big data’ approaches.”

Hillengass’s education started at the University of Heidelberg where he received his medical degree and completed fellowships in hematology/oncology. He also completed fellowships at the German Cancer Institute in radiology and participated as a visiting researcher at the National Cancer Institute.

He has been the principal investigator and co-investigator on a number of trials and has published 115 peer-reviewed publications. He is also board-certified in internal medicine and hematology/oncology.

“We’re very happy to have Dr Hillengass as the Chief of Myeloma. Dr Hillengrass is a widely respected international expert in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple myeloma,” Marc Ernstoff, MD, the Katherine Anne Gioia Chair of Medicine at Roswell Park, said in a statement.