Alumnus Named Lineberger Center Director

Posted on June 26, 2024

Dr. Robert Ferris ’90, a head and neck surgical oncologist, has been named executive director of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and UNC system chief of oncology services.

Ferris is currently director of the Hillman Cancer Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where he has worked since 2017. He’s also associate vice chancellor for cancer research at UPMC. Ferris succeeds Dr. Shelley Earp, who retired this year. Ferris’ tenure as Lineberger executive director will start Oct. 1.

As director of the Hillman Cancer Center, Ferris led the alignment of the center’s clinical, academic and research activities, generating a 29 percent increase in peer-reviewed cancer research and a 53 percent increase in National Cancer Institute funding, according to UNC Media Relations. His work has also led to the founding of two companies and the publication of more than 450 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters.

Ferris is the principal investigator of the Specialized Programs of Research Excellence in head and neck cancer and has been principal investigator of multiple immunotherapeutic trials. He also co-chaired the NCI Steering Committee for Head and Neck Cancer and is the immediate past president of the American Head and Neck Society.

Ferris received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with honors and distinction from UNC. He received a medical degree and a doctorate in immunology from Johns Hopkins Medical School, where he also completed his residency and was chief resident in otolaryngology/head and neck surgery.

“Bob Ferris is an exceptional cancer physician-scientist, a highly skilled health executive with deep experience leading an NCI comprehensive cancer center and a person with a genuine passion for service to others,” Dr. Wesley Burks, dean of the School of Medicine, said in an email announcement. “This blend of skills, experience and vision makes Bob the ideal person to lead our cancer center and to expand on the leadership success of Joe Pagano, Ned Sharpless and Shelley Earp, under whose direction UNC Lineberger has become one of our country’s great cancer centers.”

Pagano was the founding director of Lineberger, leading the center from 1975 to 1997. He was succeeded by Earp ’70 (MD, ’72 MS), who was director from 1997 to 2014. Sharpless ’88 (’93 MD) led the center from 2014 to 2017, before Earp accepted the director’s role a second time in 2018.