Chesney appointed as new chief of UofL oncology/hematology division

Internationally renowned cancer physician and researcher also serves as cancer center director
Chesney appointed as new chief of UofL oncology/hematology division

Dr. Jason Chesney


Jason A. Chesney, M.D., Ph.D., has been named as the new Chief of the University of Louisville Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology within the UofL Department of Medicine.

Chesney, a Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology & Toxicology, and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology was recently named as acting director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, a nationally recognized site for the testing of novel immunotherapeutic approaches against multiple solid tumor types.

He also currently holds the Brinkley Endowed Chair in Lung Cancer Research at UofL, and succeeds Donald Miller, M.D., Ph.D., who served as the division chief since 1999 and will return to the division faculty.

Chesney, who came to UofL in 2003, obtained his B.A. in anthropology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, followed by a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the U of M, and then his M.D. from the University of Minnesota Medical School.

After undergoing internship training in internal medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Cornell University Medical College, he underwent residency training at both Cornell and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

He served as Senior Scientist at the Picower Institute for Medical Research (Manhasset, NY) and later as Clinical Fellow in the Division of Immunology at Weil Medical College, Cornell University.

Following those stints, he engaged in post-graduate clinical training in medical oncology and hematology at Louisville's James Graham Brown Cancer Center.

Dr. Chesney has become known internationally for his efforts in the management of melanoma, innovative research in cancer metabolism, and work in clinical trials of novel immunotherapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer. This research has led to several patents and over 75 peer-reviewed publications, and is currently funded by the NIH National Cancer Institute.

In addition, he is the principal or co-investigator of several trials testing cutting-edge immunotherapeutic agents and currently serves as UofL's principal investigator for the NCI Institutional NRG Cooperative Oncology Group trials.

Dr. Chesney and his team represent the force behind the clinical trials program at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, and he has also gained a reputation as an outstanding lecturer and mentor, having mentored many successful trainees and junior faculty.