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The Cancer Treatment Revolution

About the Author

David G. Nathan, MD

David G. Nathan, MD

David G. Nathan, MD is a graduate of Harvard College (1951) and Harvard Medical School (1955). He was an intern and senior resident in medicine at the then Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and a clinical associate at the National Cancer Institute. From 1959 to 1966, he was a hematologist at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and then became chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Children's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. From 1985 to 1995, Dr. Nathan served as physician-in-chief of Children's Hospital and, from 1995 to 2000, was president of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Dr. Nathan's research has focused on the inherited disorders of red cells and granulocytes and particularly on thalassemia. He has trained over 100 hematologists, many of whom hold leading positions in pediatrics and internal medicine. His textbook, titled Hematology of Infancy and Childhood, is the leading text in the field. He is the author of two popular books: Genes, Blood and Courage, published by the Harvard University Press in 1995, and The Cancer Treatment Revolution: How Smart Drugs and Other New Therapies Are Renewing Our Hope and Changing the Face of Medicine, to be published by John Wiley in 2007.

Dr. Nathan is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, the American Pediatric Society, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Medal of Science, the Stratton medal of the American Society of Hematology (of which he was president), the Walker Prize of the Boston Museum of Science, the John Howland Medal of the American Pediatric Society, and the George M. Kober Medal of the Association of American Physicians. He is one of only three physicians to receive both the Howland and Kober medals.

Contact information

David G. Nathan, MD
President Emeritus, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Robert A Stranahan Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
44 Binney Street
Boston, MA 02115

E-mail: David_Nathan@dfci.harvard.edu
Phone: (617) 632-2155

Related Audio

Dr. Nathan on Fresh Air with Terry Gross

New cancer-fighting techniques, including drugs designed to target cancer cells, mean thousands of patients are surviving cancer, former Dana-Farber President David G. Nathan tells Terry Gross on National Public Radio's Fresh Air. (April 3, 2007)

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Related Video

Dr. Nathan on The Charlie Rose Show

Dr. David Nathan joined a panel discussion on the latest developments in cancer care and research. (April 18, 2007)

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Related Audio

Dr. Nathan on The Exchange

Dr. David Nathan discusses the state of cancer care and research and his new book on New Hampshire Public Radio's The Exchange. (May 1, 2007)

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