Christian Rolfo, MD, PhD, has been appointed the director of the Division of Medical Oncology at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). He started on Aug. 15.

Rolfo will serve as a professor in The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, and as associate director for early phase clinical trials in Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. He will oversee more than 65 faculty who provide subspecialized care and/or conduct research for breast, endocrine, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, lung, skin and head and neck cancers as well as sarcoma.

Rolfo is currently a professor with tenure in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, and a professor at the Institute for Translational Epidemiology in Cancer, both at the Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System, New York. He also serves as the associate director of Clinical Research for the Center of Excellence for Thoracic Oncology at the Tisch Cancer Institute.

As a specialist in thoracic oncology, drug development and biomarker research, Rolfo holds several key positions in the field of oncology and medical research. He is president of the International Society of Liquid Biopsy, deputy chair of the Education Committee at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and editor-in-chief of Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology. He also served as adviser for the Belgian Ministry of Health and in workshops hosted by the European Medicines Agency.

“Dr. Rolfo is internationally recognized as an accomplished physician and researcher. His leadership and many contributions to the field of oncology make him an excellent fit for the OSUCCC – James. We are delighted to welcome him to Ohio State,” said Rama Mallampalli, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine.

Rolfo has authored more than 250 scientific articles, many in top-tier journals. His work in the lab is focused on liquid biopsy analytes, exosomes and cfDNA. He contributed to identifying the frequency of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) among the white population. These findings, together with his studies of erlotinib as first-line chemotherapy for patients with NSCLC with EGFR mutations, have fundamentally impacted treatment standards in this illness. He also worked on innovative drugs for agnostic tumors, including entrectinib, among others.

Rolfo obtained his medical degree at the University of Cordoba School of Medicine in Argentina, completed his fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Milan, Italy, earned his doctoral degree and Doctor Europaeus in clinical oncology and experimental research at the University of Palermo, Italy, and he holds an MBA in hospital and health services management and organization from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain.