Eric P. Winer to lead Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital

After an extensive national search, Yale School of Medicine and Yale New Haven Health have announced that Eric P. Winer, MD, will be the next director of Yale Cancer Center (YCC) and physician-in-chief of Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven, effective February 1, 2022.

An internationally renowned expert in breast cancer, Winer is currently the Thompson Chair in Breast Cancer Research, chief clinical development officer, and senior vice president for medical affairs at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

“Among a field of outstanding candidates, Eric stood out for his leadership and for his commitment to ensuring that Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital have a lasting and transformative impact on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer,” said Nancy J. Brown, MD, the Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of Medicine.

In his new role, Winer will work to promote paradigm-changing discovery and to build an unparalleled clinical program that offers seamless, multidisciplinary care and clinical trials to all patients, eliminating disparities in access, care, and outcomes.

“Dr. Winer is a nationally-recognized leader in breast cancer care and research, a much sought-after mentor for younger clinicians and an advocate for his patients,” said Marna P. Borgstrom, chief executive officer, Yale New Haven Health. “We are delighted to welcome him to Smilow Cancer Hospital where he’ll lead a team that shares his passion and commitment to providing exceptional care to cancer patients.”

Winer has published over 350 original manuscripts and has served as the principal investigator of a National Institutes of Health-funded SPORE in Breast Cancer for the last 10 years. He is president-elect of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. For over a decade, he served as chief scientific advisor and chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. He currently co-leads the National Cancer Institute Breast Cancer Steering Committee.

Winer is an alumnus of both Yale College and Yale School of Medicine. After receiving his medical degree in 1983, he completed training in internal medicine, serving as chief resident at Yale New Haven Hospital. He completed a fellowship in hematology/oncology at Duke University School of Medicine and served on the Duke faculty from 1989 to 1997, before joining Dana-Farber and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“I am thrilled to be returning to Yale,” said Winer. “As a community, I believe we can become a premier cancer center in the next five years. I look forward to building upon the strong clinical and research programs already in place and to enhance collaborations between laboratory and clinical investigators.”

Nita Ahuja, MD, MBA, chair of the Department of Surgery and chief of surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital, has served as interim director of YCC and interim physician-in-chief since March 2021 and will continue in that role until Winer’s arrival in February.

About Yale New Haven Heath, Yale Cancer Center, and Smilow Cancer Hospital

Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), the largest and most comprehensive healthcare system in Connecticut, is recognized for advanced clinical care, quality, service, cost effectiveness and commitment to improving the health status of the communities it serves. YNHHS includes five hospitals – Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence + Memorial, Westerly and Yale New Haven hospitals, several specialty networks and Northeast Medical Group, a non-profit physician foundation with several hundred community-based and hospital-employed physicians. YNHHS is affiliated with Yale University and YSM’s clinical physician practice, Yale Medicine, which is the largest academic multi-specialty practice in New England. YNHHS and Yale partner on clinical care, education and research, bringing the latest discoveries, technology and therapies to patients. www.ynhhs.org

Yale Cancer Center (YCC) is one of only 51 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the nation and the only such center in Connecticut. Cancer treatment for patients is available at Smilow Cancer Hospital through 13 multidisciplinary teams and at 15 Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Comprehensive cancer centers play a vital role in the advancement of the NCI’s goal of reducing morbidity and mortality from cancer through scientific research, cancer prevention, and innovative cancer treatment.