Lawrence Marks, MD, Sidney K. Simon Distinguished Professor of Oncology Research, will step down from his role as chair of the UNC School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology on July 1. Marks has held the role for 15 years.
Effective July 1, Marks will become the school’s assistant dean for organizational health and quality. In this role, Marks will promote team-building and other quality-related initiatives within the school. This work will dove-tail with his continued role as executive medical director of Care Redesign for UNC Health.
Under Marks’ leadership, the Department of Radiation Oncology expanded to provide services at nine locations across the UNC Health System; grew new educational, research, and clinical programs; and created a Division of Healthcare Engineering to improve the quality and reliability of clinical systems. Marks and his team have also helped to promote quality improvement initiatives more broadly throughout UNC Hospitals and UNC Health.
Prior to joining UNC as chair in 2008, Marks was the Banks Anderson, Sr., MD, professor of radiation oncology at Duke University, where he also directed the residency training program. He earned his MD at the University of Rochester and completed his residency in radiation medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital. His clinical and research interests include breast and lung cancer, with a focus on improving radiation therapy to reduce the effects of radiation on normal tissue.
Ellen Jones, MD, PhD, who currently serves as the department’s vice chair, will become interim chair on July 1. School leaders will soon begin a search for a permanent chair.