Barbara Pro, MD, Named Clinical Director of Lymphoma at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
Barbara Pro, MD, a national leader in lymphoma research and care, has been named clinical director of the lymphoma program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Dr. Pro is also professor of medicine in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. She assumed her roles on December 1, 2021.
“The Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center [HICCC] is fortunate to have Dr. Pro join us,” says Anil K. Rustgi, MD, director of the HICCC. “As a leader in translational research, her guidance will catalyze the incredible depth and breadth of expertise we have in basic, translational, and clinical research across all types of cancer, let alone lymphoma, and will bring new treatment options to patients looking for hope.”
Dr. Pro’s research and clinical practice focuses on T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
“Dr. Pro is an exceptional physician, scientist, and leader,” says Laureen Hill, MD, group senior vice president and chief operating officer of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia Division. “We are thrilled to bring her nationally- and internationally-renowned expertise in lymphoma care to our patients.”
The lymphoma program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia offers patients access to leading lymphoma experts and a wide selection of clinical trials, many at only a handful of centers.
“Our lymphoma program, already strong in lymphoma care and research, will significantly expand and grow to new heights under Dr. Pro’s leadership,” says Gary K. Schwartz, MD, deputy director of the HICCC and chief of Hematology and Oncology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia.
Widely recognized for her expertise in drug development for Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, Dr. Pro has played a major role in large international studies evaluating new therapies for patients with aggressive T-cell lymphomas, which have led to FDA approvals of novel agents.
“Columbia has outstanding strengths in basic and translational lymphoma research, and Dr. Pro will be the ideal clinical collaborator for many of our investigators,” says Riccardo Dalla-Favera, MD, director of Columbia’s Institute for Cancer Genetics.
Dr. Pro joins NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia from Northwestern University, where she served as the clinical director of the lymphoma program and director of the hematology and oncology fellowship program at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. She has received numerous awards and is a member of several organizations, including the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Association of Cancer Research. She serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Lymphoma Research Foundation and Scientific Committee of the Society of Hematology Oncology.
"I am honored to be a part of the exceptional team at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia and I am looking forward to working together to expand the clinical and research activities to advance personalized treatments for patients with lymphoma,” says Dr. Pro.