Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to share that Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, has been appointed the new director of Dartmouth Cancer Center. He will begin in his role on July 13.
Dartmouth Cancer Center (DCC) brings together cancer care, research and education across the Dartmouth Health system and Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. One of 57 designated National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Centers, DCC is one of the most longstanding of these centers and the only such center not located in a major urban hub. DCC connects academic activities across all five schools of Dartmouth and clinical activities across 14 Dartmouth Health hospitals, clinics, and care teams—translating discovery into better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for patients close to home, while advancing cancer research that benefits people and communities globally.
As the center’s sixth director, Dr. Herbst will lead this integrated effort. He will help strengthen cancer research and collaboration across Dartmouth Health and Dartmouth, expand access to advanced treatments and clinical trials, and continue to elevate cancer care in Southern New Hampshire, throughout New England, and beyond.
Dr. Herbst is an internationally recognized leader in lung cancer research and treatment. Over more than three decades, his work has helped transform cancer care. He has advanced targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and biomarker-driven approaches that have improved survival and quality of life for cancer patients.
He joins Dartmouth Health and Geisel from Yale, where he serves as deputy director and chief of medical oncology and hematology at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut. In these roles, he has led major clinical and research programs, built strong partnerships across academia and industry, and expanded access to innovative therapies through large-scale clinical trials.
Dr. Herbst has helped shape modern cancer research, including the development of master protocol and umbrella trial designs such as the Lung Master Protocol (Lung-MAP), which uses biomarkers to match patients with the treatments most likely to benefit them. His work has contributed to the approval of multiple therapies that are now the standard of care, and he continues to advance research focused on earlier detection and treatment.
In addition to his research and clinical leadership, Dr. Herbst is a dedicated educator and mentor. He has authored more than 500 publications in leading journals and has helped train the next generation of clinicians and scientists. He has been a major proponent of efforts to promote tobacco control and regulation (including e-cigarettes), authoring multiple policy statements, and leading frequent Capitol Hill briefings. His professional and scholarly contributions have been recognized with numerous national and international awards.
Cancer care and research is at a critical juncture, and we need to take advantage of the scale of our institutions working together to benefit our patients. At Dartmouth Cancer Center, Dr. Herbst will lead and strengthen an integrated, cross-institutional approach to clinical care, community outreach and engagement, cancer research, and education—spanning all of Dartmouth and Dartmouth Health. His experience building collaborative, high-performing teams and expanding access to cutting-edge treatments will be key as we continue to grow and strengthen our cancer programs for the patients and communities we serve.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Herbst to Dartmouth Health, the Geisel School of Medicine, and our broader Dartmouth community.
Steven D. Leach, MD, Interim Dean, Geisel School of Medicine
Joanne M. Conroy, MD, Chief Executive Officer and President, Dartmouth Health