Hoosier Oncology Group Announces New Board Leadership
INDIANAPOLIS (February 2, 2010) - The Hoosier Oncology Group, a non-profit, community based, clinical research organization located in Indianapolis, IN, has announced the appointment of Rafat Abonour, M.D., as Chairman of the Board of Directors. In addition, Wael Harb, M.D., has been appointed Chief Community Officer. Abonour takes the helm as outgoing chairman, Nasser Hanna, M.D., steps down after two tremendous years of leadership.
"It was a distinct honor for me to serve as the Chairman of the Board for the Hoosier Oncology Group. No organization, in my view, is better positioned to serve the interests of patients and cancer research. I am confident that the new Chairman, Dr. Rafat Abonour, will do an amazing job leading the organization,” states Hanna about his departure from his role as chairman.
Rafat Abonour, M.D., has been an active member of the Division of Hematology Oncology at Indiana University School of Medicine for the last fifteen years. His research efforts in the areas of blood cancer and stem cell transplantation have been nationally recognized and published in numerous peerreviewed journals such as Nature Medicine, New England Journal of Medicine, Blood and Journal of Clinical Oncology.
As a member of Hoosier Oncology Group, Abonour has conducted a novel combination therapy to manage patients with relapsed multiple myeloma. His role as Associate Dean for Clinical Research and member of the Executive Committee of the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute will help Hoosier Oncology Group lead the way in conducting state-of-the-art research to treat patients suffering from cancer. Abonour’s interest in translational research, community engagement, and disease mapping aligns naturally with the mission of Hoosier Oncology Group.
Wael Harb, M.D., brings to his role of Chief Community Officer a fresh and thorough understanding of the community perspective and cancer care needs. Harb is a medical oncologist and the Medical Director at Horizon Oncology Center in Lafayette, Indiana.
"As Chief Community Officer, I am honored and excited to work with our colleagues to make Hoosier Oncology Group trials appealing and feasible to our community investigators. Hoosier Oncology Group considers community sites an essential partner in advancing cancer diagnostics and therapies," comments Harb.
The 2010 Hoosier Oncology Group Board of Directors is as follows: Rafat Abonour, M.D., Chairman; Wael Harb, M.D., Chief Community Officer; James Ruckle, Ph.D., Secretary; Fuad Hammoudeh, Treasurer; Noah Hahn, M.D., Chief Medical Officer. Members-at-Large: Bilal Ansari, M.D., Sumeet Bhatia, M.D., Melissa Caito, Christopher LeMasters, Timothy Ratliff, Ph.D., John Salter, M.D., Bryan Schneider, M.D., and Ted Stansbury.
Contact:
Deb Cole, Information Services Administrator
cole22@iupui.edu
(317) 921-2050
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