Mesa Named Director of UT Health Cancer Center

Ruben A. Mesa, MD

Ruben A. Mesa, MD

Ruben A. Mesa, MD, has been named director of the UT Health Cancer Center. Mesa is currently a professor of Medicine and chair of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Mayo Clinic. His new position will take effect in August.

Involved in MPN research for more than 20 years, Mesa has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator of more than 70 clinical trials for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and other myeloid disorders. He has also led efforts in securing FDA approvals for several cancer drugs.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Mesa to our cancer center, to UT Health, and to San Antonio,” said UT Health President William L. Henrich, MD, MACP. “In addition to his superb leadership, Dr. Mesa is an international expert on myeloproliferative neoplasms and will bring with him a sizeable patient-centered research program to San Antonio.”

“Dr. Mesa’s activities include significant roles serving as a patient advocate in cancer care helping communities, states, and governments better understand and plan for the burden of this dreadful disease. He is highly engaged and demonstrates a commitment to serving the needs of patients compassionately,” Henrich added.

Mesa joined the Mayo Clinic in Arizona in 2009 as chairman of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology after beginning his career at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. He was named deputy director of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in 2012.

Dr. Mesa described San Antonio as “a warm, unique community. I look forward to working with colleagues whose commitment aligns with putting patients first and continually striving to alleviate the burden of cancer through the highest quality patient care, scientific discovery and integrity, and providing a medical education with clear distinction in new, innovative models for clinical education.

“We are aligned in our mission to end cancer,” he added. “We will continue to make life-changing breakthroughs in cancer research and care for Texans and beyond. This is an exceptional opportunity to take full advantage of the tremendous assets of the UT Health Cancer Center and our affiliation with MD Anderson Cancer Center to defeat this disease.”

Mesa serves as chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s panel that published the first US guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of myelofibrosis in theJournal of the National Cancer Center Networkin the fall of 2016. He presented the new guidelines last fall at the NCCN’s Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies.