This fall marks a time of leadership transition of the Breast Cancer Pro.gram at the Kimmel Cancer Center. Our talented faculty members are highly sought after, and Vered Stearns, M.D., Program Director and Breast Cancer Research Chair in Oncology was recruit.ed by Weill-Cornell Medicine to lead its translational breast cancer program. After 21 years as a faculty member, Dr. Stearns begins her new position in New York on November 1. 

Highly regarded by her colleagues, trainees, and patients alike, Dr. Stearns served as Director of the Women’s Malignancies Disease Group and as Medical Director of the Under Armour Breast Health Innovation Center. 

Speaking at a recent Fetting Fund event, Nancy Davidson, M.D., who preceded Dr. Stearns as Director of the Breast Cancer program, noted her many accomplishments over her leadership tenure. Dr. Stearns built a strong translational research program around innovative clinical trials, she said, and pointed out that her work in pharmacogenetics – which looks at how genetic factors affect the way the body reacts to drugs – enables oncologists to better tailor treatment to individual patients. 

“We are so much the better here in Baltimore for what Dr. Stearns accomplished,” Dr. Davidson said. “Our field is so much the better. Patients are so much the better.” 

Dr. Stearns’ clinical research has focused on improving current therapies by individualizing strategies for treatment and prevention of breast cancer. She was among the first to evaluate the role of specific cancer-related genetic mutations with breast cancer survivors who had been treated with tamoxifen to prevent the reoccurrence of disease. She also has led similar research on the association between genetic mutations and outcomes for women treated with aromatase inhibitors, a class of drugs used to treat breast cancer in post-menopausal women. 

Among her many honors, Dr. Stearns was selected by Forbes in 2017 as one of 27 top breast cancer oncologists in the country. In 2022, Dr. Stearns she received the Kimmel Cancer Center Mentoring Award in recognition of her dedication to trainees and faculty members. 

Dr. Stearns joins Weill-Cornell Medicine as Director of Translational Breast Cancer in the Department of Medicine and Associate Director for Clinical Affairs at the Meyer Cancer Center. In her new role, she looks forward to developing programs and mentoring team members across cancer types at sites in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. 

“As you can imagine it has been a hard decision, and what made it most difficult is the need to say goodbye to many friends and colleagues, the amazing team members, and to my patients,” says Dr. Stearns. “I am pleased to remain an Adjunct Professor and maintain my many collaborations.”