Faculty

Congress Chairs

Morton Coleman, MD
Chair
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, NY

Dr. Morton Coleman is a medical oncologist who specializes in the treatment of patients with lymphoma, multiple myeloma, leukemia, and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He shares his expertise through clinical professorships and as a member and chairman of numerous medical and scientific committees. A frequent collaborator with Dr. Silver, with whom he has co-authored more than 70 research articles, Dr. Coleman is known worldwide for the treatment of lymphoma, myeloma, and leukemia. This includes innovations in dose intensity, treatment combinations, and the sequencing, timing, and duration of chemotherapy. He has received many honors, including annual designation as one of America’s Top Doctors by both Castle Connolly and New York Magazine.

Richard R. Furman, MD 
Co-Chair
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, NY

Richard R. Furman, MD attended medical school at Mount Sinai followed by Internal Medicine Residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.  He subsequently attended fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College.  Since that time, he has focused on immunologic aspects of CLL and lymphomas, focusing in the laboratory on NF-kappaB and immune impairments in CLL.  Since leaving the lab, Dr. Furman has focused his research on non-chemotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of CLL and lymphomas.  He initially focused on thalidomide and lenalidomide, before wordking on novel monoclonal antibodyies, BCR antagonists, and other small molecule inhibitors.  Dr. Furman has played a key role in the development of idelalisib, ibrutinib, acalabrutinib, zanubrutinib, venetoclax and umbralisib and focuses now on understanding and treating mechansims of resistance.  Dr. Furman is currently the Morton Coleman, MD Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine / New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Jeremy Heinerich, PA-C
Co-Chair
Mount Sinai Hospital/
NYP Weill Cornell Medical Center
New York, NY

Jeremy Heinerich is the PA Clinical Director of Oncology at Mount Sinai Hospital and former Chief PA of Inpatient Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical Center NYP where he managed 50 physician assistants covering the leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and bone marrow transplant patients.    He continues to work per diem at NYP/Cornell.    He is a strong advocate for the PA and NP professions and ensuring that we practice to the top of our license.  He is very involved with the Association of PA's in Oncology planning conferences, participating with the board and providing consultation services in conference planning and education as well as advanced practice service creation.     He is also very involved with the American Academy of PA's on the national level in advancing the role of the PA.      He has served on many boards and volunteers with many non-profit organizations throughout NYC.    He lectures throughout the country teaching bone marrow biopsy and lumbar puncture workshops.

John P. Leonard, MD
Co-Chair
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, NY

John P. Leonard, M.D., is the Richard T. Silver Distinguished Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology and Senior Associate Dean for Innovation and Initiatives at the Weill Cornell Medical College.  He is Chair (Interim) of the Weill Department of Medicine and New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he also serves as Attending Physician.    
An expert in hematology and oncology, Dr. Leonard  is Chair of the Lymphoma Committee of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (formerly CALGB, ACOSOG and NCCTG), a multicenter cooperative group and key component of the National Cancer Institute’s National Clinical Trials Network.  Dr. Leonard has been an elected member of the American Board of Internal Medicine Hematology subspecialty board, and he has also been elected to membership in the American Society of Clinical Investigation.  He has served as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board and Board Member of the Lymphoma Research Foundation and Board Member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society/New York City Chapter.
 Dr. Leonard performed his undergraduate work at Johns Hopkins University and received his medical degree at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA.  He completed his residency in medicine at the New York Hospital - Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY.  He completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Cornell, and served as the chief medical resident at the New York Hospital - Cornell Medical Center.

Ruben Niesvizky, MD
Co-Chair
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, NY

Dr. Ruben Niesvizky is Director of the Multiple Myeloma Center and Director of Oncology Operations at Weill Cornell Medicine/New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He is Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and Attending Physician at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Niesvizky received his medical degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a research fellowship in cell biology/granulomonopoiesis at the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition in Mexico City. Dr. Niesvizky served as Chief Fellow during his training as a clinical hematology fellow at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York. He trained as a hematology/oncology fellow at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, where he was assistant attending physician for 6 years.  Dr. Niesvizky is fluent in Spanish, Hebrew and English.

Dr. Niesvizky’s work has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Blood, JCO, Leukemia and Lymphoma, and Seminars in Oncology. He was the director of the clinical core of the Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society granted in 2000.  He is the recipient of various grants and awards from the National Cancer Institute; a K23 award and 3 translational research grants for the development of new drugs. Dr Niesvizky regularly presents at annual meetings such as ASH and ASCO, of which he is also a member. He is an active participant in clinical trials of promising new drugs and medical procedures for the treatment of myeloma, lymphoma, and related hematologic disorders.

Gail J. Roboz, MD
Co-Chair
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, NY

Gail J.Roboz, MD is Professor of medicine and director of the clinical and translational leukemia programs at Weill Cornell Medicine and the New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York. New York, USA. 

Dr. Roboz graduated summa cum laude from Yale University and Alpha Omega Alpha from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she also achieved the highest academic standing in the graduating class. Dr. Roboz completed internship in Internal Medicine at the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston and residency at The New York Presbyterian Hospital. She completed fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College and The New York Presbyterian Hospital. 

Dr. Roboz’s research interests are in developmental therapeutics and novel clinical trial design for acute leukemias, myelodysplastic syndrome, and myeloproliferative disorders. She is the principal investigator on numerous investigator-initiated, cooperative group, and industry-sponsored clinical trials in these areas and has authored many related manuscripts and abstracts. Dr. Roboz serves on the Leukemia Core Committee for the Alliance clinical trials in oncology and is the Weill Cornell Principal Investigator for the MDS Clinical Research Consortium. She chairs the clinical committee of the European Leukemia Net (ELN) working group on minimal residual disease in acute myeloid leukemia. She also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation. Dr. Roboz has played an active role as a chair, speaker and panelist at numerous national and international conferences and is the recipient of prestigious honors and awards in the field.