Elliot M. Epner, professor of medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, has joined Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute and the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Epner specializes in hematologic malignancies, such as leukemia and lymphoma and stem cell transplant patients. Epner will establish the Cancer Institute's lymphoma program and develop clinical guidelines and research studies.
Epner’s clinical specialty is mantle cell lymphoma, an aggressive cancer found in lymph nodes, the spleen, bone marrow, blood and sometimes the gastrointestinal system. Epner says, "Our lab's goal is to bring new treatments into the clinic, specifically treatments that change the structure of genes, so genes can be selectively turned on or off as needed, and hopefully affect these diseases."
"In Dr. Epner, we have an internationally respected physician-scientist to lead our lymphoma effort, which is an area of focus for us because of its high rate of incidence in the region," says Thomas P. Loughran, Cancer Institute director.
Most recently, Epner worked as associate professor of medicine at the Oregon Health Sciences Center, Portland. He completed his dual M.D./Ph.D. degree at Columbia University.