Dr. Markus Bredel Named Chair of Dept. of Radiation Oncology
After a rigorous national search, Markus Bredel, M.D., Ph.D., has been named chair of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Radiation Oncology.
On August 1, Dr. Bredel will join a team dedicated to delivering precision, patient-centered cancer treatment that was the first in South Florida to use HyperArcTM to treat brain tumors and one of the first in the world to offer ViewRay MRIdian® MRI-guided radiation therapy.
An integral element in the outstanding treatment provided by the National Cancer Institute-designated Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, the department welcomes the innovative leadership of a renowned researcher who served as Sharon A. Spencer Distinguished Endowed Chair in Translational Radiation Oncology, director of functional brain radiosurgery and head of brain tumor research in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Department of Radiation Oncology and deputy associate director for translational research at UAB’s O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Bredel previously held academic faculty positions at the Stanford University School of Medicine, the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and the University of Freiburg in Germany.
“I am greatly looking forward to working with the faculty and staff on strategically positioning the Department for a successful future, making new inroads, maintaining and expanding its preeminent role in international radiation oncology, promoting and advancing career development, and supporting the tripartite mission of Sylvester and the Miller School of Medicine in life-changing and compassionate cancer care, groundbreaking and transformative research, and educating the next generation of radiation oncologists and scientists,” Dr. Bredel said.
Translational Research Champion
A Research Project Grant (R01)-funded physician-scientist, Dr. Bredel has been a key player in O’Neal’s translational research success. His nationally acclaimed work has contributed greatly to the understanding of brain tumor genetics, with a particular focus on human gliomas.
He served as the Billy Grey Chair of Research of the National Brain Tumor Society. The principal investigator on high-impact studies published in esteemed journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, The Lancet Oncology, The Journal of Clinical Investigation and the Journal of Clinical Oncology, his research team’s characterization of a novel tumor suppressor gene in brain cancer was named one of the top clinical cancer research advances of the year by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Dr. Bredel is a member of The Lancet Oncology editorial board and associate editor of three peer-reviewed scientific journals. He chaired the Central Nervous System Tumors Program Subcommittee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. As a member of the NRG Oncology Brain Tumor Working Group, he has profiled glioma study patient samples for prognostic and predictive biomarkers.
Central Nervous System Tumor Expertise
Dr. Bredel has demonstrable clinical expertise in central nervous system tumors and a particular interest in advanced radiosurgery for brain metastases and movement disorders. He is part of the CNS Radiation Oncology group at UAB, which led the development of HyperArc.
In addition to fractionated external beam radiation therapy, including proton beam therapy and adaptive radiation therapy, he performs a large number of radiosurgery procedures for brain and spine tumors and developed UAB’s advanced stereotactic radiosurgery program for movement disorders. The Food and Drug Administration’s 510(K) approval of the Varian TrueBeam/Edge radiosurgery platform for the treatment of essential tremor stemmed from a clinical trial for which he was principal investigator. Dr. Bredel also performed the world’s first frameless radiosurgical pallidotomy for dystonia.
Advocate of Inclusive Education
An acclaimed educator who values inclusive excellence, Dr. Bredel mentors 12 clinical residents in UAB’s accredited Radiation Oncology Residency Program and welcomes students to shadow him during in-clinic procedures. He’s been a strong advocate of eliminating disparities in cancer research and has prepared students from underrepresented groups for Ph.D. programs in UAB’s Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program.
Dr. Bredel succeeds Alan Pollack, M.D., Ph.D., professor of radiation oncology, who has led the department since 2008. A leader in genitourinary translational research, Dr. Pollack was instrumental in bringing proton therapy to Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.