Dr. James Gordon Herman is an internationally acclaimed medical oncologist and preeminent leader in lung cancer research whose pioneering work has significantly advanced the understanding of cancer epigenetics. He currently serves as Co-Leader of the Lung Cancer Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, where he holds the distinguished UPMC Endowed Chair in Lung Cancer Research. Dr. Herman maintains dual appointments as a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he advances clinical care, education, and clinical trials for thoracic malignancies. His distinguished academic journey began with a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, followed by internal medicine residency at Duke University, before returning to Johns Hopkins for his medical oncology fellowship and subsequent faculty appointment in 1996.
Dr. Herman has made seminal contributions to the field of cancer epigenetics, most notably through his development of the methylation-specific PCR assay (MSP), a transformative technique now widely used to characterize DNA methylation patterns in cancer diagnosis and research. His groundbreaking research has illuminated critical mechanisms of how epigenetic alterations drive cancer development and progression, particularly in lung malignancies, with his work appearing in over 250 publications, chapters, and editorials. His research program has received continuous funding from prestigious sources including the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and V Scholar Award programs, with significant contributions as project co-leader on the Hopkins Lung Cancer SPORE grant. Dr. Herman's translational research has directly informed clinical approaches to lung cancer prevention, early detection, and the development of targeted therapies.
Beyond his research endeavors, Dr. Herman has profoundly shaped the field through his leadership in clinical trial development and medical education, currently serving as co-director of the medical oncology fellowship program to cultivate the next generation of translational researchers in basic and clinical science. He contributes to the scientific community through editorial roles for leading journals including Clinical Cancer Research and Journal of Clinical Oncology, where his expertise guides the publication of cutting-edge cancer research. Dr. Herman's current work focuses on leveraging epigenetic insights to understand the molecular changes that drive lung cancer development, with direct applications for prevention strategies and precision medicine approaches. His ongoing research continues to drive innovation in thoracic malignancies, positioning his laboratory at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at the forefront of integrating epigenetic discoveries with clinical applications for improved patient outcomes.
