Rutgers Cancer Institute Director Named to Power 100 List in NJ

New Brunswick, N.J., March 27, 2018 –Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Director Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS, who is also senior vice president of oncology services at RWJBarnabas Health and vice chancellor for cancer programs for Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, has been named by the business journal NJBIZ to its Power 100 list.

With an aim to “identify the people impacting business in New Jersey in a positive way,” NJBIZ editors looked at heads of companies and organizations, legislators, educators and other leaders around the state to find those with “impressive track records of affecting change” and who are fostering growth in their respective fields. Dr. Libutti, who was recruited to New Jersey’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center a little over a year ago, is leading a transformation of the delivery of adult and pediatric oncology care through an integrated platform at Rutgers Cancer Institute and spanning the state via the 11 RWJBarnabas Hospitals.

“World-class cancer care is closer than you think,” notes Libutti. “With on-site research at Rutgers Cancer Institute translating directly to clinical trials and other cutting-edge treatments that are accessible to patients at RWJBarnabas Health facilities, there is no reason why cancer patients in New Jersey need to travel far from home for their care. I am proud our teams can offer this seamless care to our Garden State residents – and for all of those in the region who may benefit from the unique offerings of an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and its partners.”

A surgical oncologist, Libutti is an internationally known expert in endocrine surgery and the management of neuroendocrine tumors. He is a Past President of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons. His clinical practice focuses on gastrointestinal malignancies including cancers of the liver and pancreas.

The recipient of NCI funding for more than two decades, Libutti is also a researcher whose work focuses on developing novel cancer therapies through an understanding of the tumor microenvironment. He is studying the interaction between tumor cells and the components of the tumor microenvironment.

Libutti, who is also a professor of surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and an affiliated distinguished professor in genetics at the Rutgers School of Arts and Science, received his medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. He remained at Presbyterian Hospital in New York where he completed his residency in surgery, followed by a fellowship at the NCI in surgical oncology and endocrine surgery. At the NCI he became a tenured senior investigator and chief of the Tumor Angiogenesis Section in the Surgery Branch. He has published more than 280 peer reviewed journal articles, is editor-in-chief of the Nature Journal Cancer Gene Therapy, and holds seven U.S. patents.

To learn about other RWJBH and Rutgers colleagues who made the list, visit: http://www.njbiz.com/article/20180326/NJBIZ01/180329905/the-njbiz-power-100/&nocache=1.

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