Ivan Maillard Named Head of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Newswise — Ivan Maillard, MD, PhD, has been named Head of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies within the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). A physician-scientist, Dr. Maillard is a practicing hematologist-oncologist with experience treating lymphoma and leukemia and a focus on hematopoiesis, bone marrow transplantation, Notch signaling, and lymphoid biology. 

He joins MSK from the University of Pennsylvania where he most recently served as the Kevin Reitnauer Fox Professor in Oncology. Since 2018, he served as Vice-Chief for Research, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, and an investigator with the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. He was also Co-Scientific Director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Cell Therapy and Transplantation Program. Dr. Maillard succeeds Gilles Salles, MD, PhD, who served as Acting Head of the Division over the past year and Chief of the Lymphoma Service. Prior to Dr. Salles’ appointment, the division was led by Marcel van den Brink, MD, PhD. 

“Dr. Maillard approaches his clinical care and research in a holistic manner. The combination of his career-long focus on mentorship, basic and translational investigation, and patient care makes him the optimal person to lead MSK’s Division of Hematologic Malignancies into the future,” said Deb Schrag, MD, MPH, Chair of the Department of Medicine. “We are confident that he will serve as a staunch ally and supporter of our faculty members, working with them to identify paths to career development, address roadblocks, and maximize creativity and potential of those within the division.” 

MSK’s Division of Hematologic Malignancies is dedicated to treating patients with various blood cancers and some benign hematologic diseases. Services within the division include myeloma, lymphoma, leukemia, hematology, cellular therapy, and adult bone marrow transplant. As nationally and internationally recognized leaders in their fields, members of this team are central players in advancing translational and clinical research and establishing the standard of care for patients with hematologic cancers. 

“It is an honor to join this impressive group of colleagues at an institution with a storied history of contributions to the field of oncology,” explained Dr. Maillard. “I look forward to learning from my peers and working together to identify new partnerships, innovative treatment approaches, and more. All while remaining focused on providing cutting-edge care that is personalized for everyone who comes to MSK.”  

Dr. Maillard is originally from Lausanne, Switzerland. He obtained his PhD training from the University of Lausanne and the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences, and MD training from the University of Lausanne and the University of Zurich, Switzerland. He then completed residency training at the University of Lausanne and fellowship training in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania before joining the University of Michigan’s Life Sciences Institute and Division of Hematology/Oncology in 2007, where he launched and developed an independent research program that has been continuously NIH-funded since 2011. He also served there in a clinical role as a physician focused on lymphoma care and led the University of Michigan’s leukemia program from 2014 to 2017.  

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The people of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) are united by a singular mission: ending cancer for life. Our specialized care teams provide personalized, compassionate, expert care to patients of all ages. Informed by basic research done at our Sloan Kettering Institute, scientists across MSK collaborate to conduct innovative translational and clinical research that is driving a revolution in our understanding of cancer as a disease and improving the ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat it. MSK is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists and clinicians, who go on to pursue our mission at MSK and around the globe. One of the world’s most respected comprehensive centers devoted exclusively to cancer, we have been recognized as one of the top two cancer hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report for more than 30 years. www.mskcc.org