Hudson Institute welcomes US cancer researcher as centre head

Hudson Institute has welcomed its newest head of the Centre for Cancer Research, Associate Professor Ron Firestein, who has relocated from San Francisco with his young family to take up the role.

A/Prof Firestein is a physician scientist who earned his BA from the University of Pennsylvania in Biology and his MD/PhD from Stanford University in 2002.

Hudson Director, Professor Bryan Williams, says A/Prof Ron Firestein exemplifies the Institute’s vision of becoming a world-class leader in translating innovative research into valuable patient treatment.

“In addition to heading the Centre for Cancer Research, he will also be working one day a week in pathology at Monash Health,” Professor Williams said.

“We are privileged to be joined by such an esteemed researcher clinician in our leadership team.”

A/Prof Firestein joins the Institute from Genentech, where he was employed as a cancer researcher and pathologist, focusing on cancer biomarker development in early stage research and in clinical trials.

It was there that A/Prof Ron Firestein also led a research laboratory focused on novel oncogenic target identification and validation in colon, breast and lung cancer.

He completed residency in Anatomic Pathology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and fellowship in Molecular Pathology at Harvard Medical School, where he received the Thomas Gil award for excellence in research.

A/Prof Firestein says he is excited about working within the new $84 million Monash Health Translational Research Precinct, opening in October, and its far-reaching possibilities for research.

“The fact the patients are physically going to be in the building is a very important reminder that we are focusing on patient care,” A/Prof Ron Firestein said.