Dr. Stefan C. Grant to serve as Section Chief of Hematology and Medical Oncology

Stefan C. Grant, MD, JD, MBA, will serve as the next Chief of the Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology in the John W. Deming Department of Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. Dr. Grant will also serve as Deputy Director of the Tulane Cancer Center and Deputy Director of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center (LCRC). He will join Tulane and the LCRC on March 15, 2023.

Dr. Grant is a thoracic medical oncologist who comes to Tulane from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, where he was Professor of Medicine within their Section of Hematology and Oncology. He also served as Associate Director for Clinical Trial Operations within the National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center; under his leadership of clinical trials operations, the NCI Cancer Center Support Grant was twice renewed. He was Director for Intellectual Property Strategy and Maintenance within the Center for Technology Innovation and Commercialization at Wake Forest. Previously, Dr. Grant served as Medical Director of the Hematology Oncology Clinic at Acton Road at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and within its NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

Dr. Grant is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. He obtained his medical degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and underwent postgraduate training in South Africa and the United Kingdom. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia and his fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. After completing his fellowship, he joined the faculty of Memorial Sloan-Kettering within the Thoracic Oncology Service of the Division of Solid Tumor Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College. While in New York, he obtained his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. He is a member of the New York state bar and is a registered patent attorney. In addition, Dr. Grant holds an MBA from UAB’s Collat School of Business. 

Dr. Grant’s research has been focused on immunologic approaches to the treatment of lung cancer, the use of targeted therapies, and pragmatic clinical trials. Dr. Grant served a three-year term as a member of the steering committee of the Association of American Cancer Institute Clinical Research Innovation and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Cindy Leissinger served as Section Chief of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Tulane for over seventeen years. Dr. Leissinger will remain an active faculty member and continue to serve as Director of the Louisiana Center for Bleeding and Clotting Disorders with a greater focus on research and mentorship. 

Dr. Grant will bring fresh perspectives and new ideas to our community, joining many outstanding clinicians, physician-scientists, and basic scientists delivering excellence in education, patient care, and research.