Dear IASLC Members,
We regretfully announce the resignation of Dr. Fred R. Hirsch from the IASLC CEO position effective Oct. 31, 2018, upon completion of his current five-year contract. This is a loss for the IASLC but we respect his decision and we wish Dr. Hirsch the best. We’d like to take this opportunity to recognize the contributions Dr. Hirsch has made to the IASLC.
Since joining the IASLC 41 years ago, Dr. Hirsch has served the organization in many capacities. He served as chair of the Pathology Committee, chair of the Prevention and Early Detection Committee and as Associate Editor of the IASLC Journal, the Journal of Thoracic Oncology . Dr. Hirsch served on the Board of Directors for the IASLC from 2005-2013, notably as the Treasurer. He was the editor of the IASLC newsletter from 2000-2013 and he received the Mary J. Matthews Award in 2007 for lifetime achievements in pathology and translational research of thoracic malignancies. Dr. Hirsch has also created and led numerous IASLC workshops and scientific meetings, particularly in Europe, and was the Congress President for the IASLC 16th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Denver, CO, USA, in 2015.
Since becoming the CEO of the IASLC in 2013, Dr. Hirsch has led the growth of the IASLC staff from 5 to 23. Under his tenure, membership in the organization has doubled and the financial position has strengthened. Also during this time, the Journal of Thoracic Oncology moved to a new publisher and saw a tremendous growth in the impact factor, currently 10.336. The IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) moved from every other year to an annual meeting under Dr. Hirsch’s time as CEO, culminating in record attendance and multiple practice-changing abstracts at the IASLC 19th WCLC in Toronto, Canada, last month.
While serving as the CEO, Dr. Hirsch continued to pursue his research interests as a Professor of Medicine and Pathology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colorado, USA. His research has focused on translational research, biomarkers and targeted therapies, and early detection of lung cancer. Dr. Hirsch’s research has helped identify and validate prognostic markers for lung cancer outcomes and predictive markers for personalized lung cancer therapies, contributing to his co-authorship of several IASLC atlases and most recently informing the IASLC Blueprint project.
You will be hearing more from us in the coming weeks about transition plans. We will find time to celebrate Dr. Hirsch’s achievements and contributions to the IASLC, and we also want to note that the IASLC is well positioned, financially and operationally, to continue its important work to conquer thoracic cancers worldwide.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Fred Hirsch for his successes and in thanking him for his dedication and efforts over the past 41 years.
Respectfully,
Giorgio V. Scagliotti
President, IASLC
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