HERSHEY, Pa. — Dr. Yatin Vyas has been named the chair of the Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Miracle Network and Four Diamonds Endowed Chair and pediatrician-in-chief at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine, effective Nov. 1.
Previously, Vyas worked at the University of Iowa where he was Mary Joy and Jerre Stead Professor of Pediatrics and led the division of Hematology/Oncology since June 2013 as division director. During his time as director, Vyas led the team at the Stead Family Children’s Hospital to become a beacon of excellence for pediatric cancer care. Additionally, he served as a member of the executive leadership advisory committee for the National Cancer Institute-designated Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and assistant director of the Physician-Scientist Training Pathway of Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa.
Prior to joining the University of Iowa, Vyas served as a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, and at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). He trained in pediatrics at the New York University Medical Center/Bellevue Hospital and completed a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at Memorial Hospital of MSKCC and New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell University Medical Center.
“I am so pleased that Dr. Vyas will be bringing his extensive knowledge and expertise to the College of Medicine,” said Dr. Kevin Black, interim dean. “His interest in scientific innovation and imparting leading-edge clinical care will benefit the students as well as our partner organizations, such as Children’s Miracle Network and Four Diamonds.”
Vyas holds certificates in Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Health Centers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business. He recently graduated as a scholar in the Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs Physician Leadership Development Program (AMSPDC-PLDP).
Vyas’ research is focused on defining the molecular cause and subsequent development of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), an inborn error of immunity. Research from his laboratory was essential in revealing for the first time an evolutionarily conserved, novel chromatin-resident role for WASp in gene transcription, genome stability and oncogenesis. His research has been nearly continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 2002. Vyas has served as a member of multiple NIH study sections and is an elected member of the honorific Society for Pediatric Research and American Pediatric Society.
Vyas will replace Dr. Michael Beck, who has served as the interim chair of the department since February 2021 and will continue to serve as a member of the faculty.