Winship Chief Medical Officer Sagar Lonial, MD with Winship Executive Director Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD, Emory Healthcare CEO Jon Lewin, MD and Dean of Emory University School of Medicine Vikas P. Sukhatme, MD, ScD.
Sagar Lonial, MD, chief medical officer for Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University (Winship) and chairman of the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, was honored with the Anne and Bernard Gray Family Chair in Cancer. The endowment honors the life of Mrs. Gray's sister, Karen Ammons Howell, who died of breast cancer.
"Since joining Emory over 20 years ago, Dr. Lonial has had an exceptional impact in cancer research and care," says Walter J. Curran, Jr. MD, executive director of Winship. "He has provided extraordinary leadership within both Winship and the Emory School of Medicine."
Lonial is an internationally renowned expert in the biology and care of patients with multiple myeloma. His most recent research focuses how to best combine novel agents as therapy for myeloma patients and how to identify new targets and treatment strategies for patients with high-risk myeloma. He was principal investigator on two large studies of novel monoclonal antibodies, both of which led to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The research team he developed has contributed to all the major FDA approvals for myeloma therapeutics over the past decade. Lonial is currently leading a global genome sequencing study for patients with newly diagnosed myeloma.
"Whether it is through scientific research or his work in the Winship clinic, we are proud to recognize and honor Dr. Lonial for his commitment to improving patient outcomes and patient care," says Bernard Gray.
Board certified in hematology, oncology, and internal medicine, Lonial has published over 200 scientific papers. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Oncology and Leukemia and is the myeloma editor for Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma, and Leukemia. He is the secretary for the International Myeloma Society, on the scientific advisory board for the International Myeloma Foundation, and serves as steering committee chair for the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium.
A native of Louisville, Ky., Lonial first worked in oncology during his undergraduate days at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. He earned his medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, followed by a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Emory.
