Jonathan S. Berek MD, MMSc is the Laurie Kraus Lacob Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and a former Fellow in the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute. He is the Founding Director of the Stanford Women’s Cancer Center, which is one of the first programs in the nation to combine breast and gynecologic oncology services with women’s cancer translational research, genetics and supportive services programs. Professor Berek is a Senior Advisor at the Stanford Cancer Institute and served as Chair of the Stanford Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 2005-2017. He is the Co-Chair of the Senior Academy at Stanford Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine.
A Stanford faculty member since 2005, Professor Berek is renowned for his many contributions to and expertise in gynecologic oncology, especially surgical innovation and techniques, and his research in immunology and immunotherapy. Through many laboratory and clinical investigations, he pioneered the use of regionally-administered immunotherapy in ovarian cancer patients. His early laboratory research focused on fundamental mechanisms of cancer immunology, elucidating growth regulatory pathways for cytokines and their receptors. His current research focuses on clinical trials of novel therapies and immunotherapies for ovarian cancer and collaborations on new diagnostics, screening techniques, and genetics.
An author and editor, Professor Berek has published more than 400 peer-reviewed manuscripts in the scientific literature, and numerous book chapters and monographs. His books, Berek & Hacker’s Gynecologic Oncology, now in its 7th edition, and Berek & Novak’s Gynecology, in its 17th edition, are leading texts in the field. He is the Series Editor for Operative Techniques in Gynecologic Surgery, for which five textbooks on various subspecialty topics in Obstetrics and Gynecology have been published. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief for Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology, and he is a former Editor-in-Chief of ASCO Connection, published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Professor Berek received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Theatre Arts, and a Master of Medical Sciences degree in biomedical sciences from Brown University. After earning his Doctor of Medicine from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, he completed an internship and residency at Harvard Medical School, Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Before moving to Stanford, he was on the faculty at the UCLA School of Medicine for more than two decades, where he served as the Chair of the College of Applied Anatomy, Chief of Staff of the UCLA Medical Center, Departmental Executive Vice Chair, and Director of Gynecologic Oncology and Gynecology. He is a Fellow in American Society of Clinical Oncologists (FASCO), American College of Surgeons (FACS), Society of Pelvic Surgeons (FSPS), and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FACOG).
Professor Berek has received many honors and accolades. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Societies. In 2003, he received the highly prestigious Sherman Mellinkoff Award from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. In 2012, he was presented the John C. Fremont Pathfinder Award, given to a native Nebraskan in recognition of noteworthy service to society. Dr. Berek is the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Honoree of the American Cancer Society for his many accomplishments in women’s cancer treatment and research. In 2022, he received a Lifetime Acheivement Award from the International Society of Gynecologic Cancer for his contributions to the field of gynecologic oncology.
Professor Berek has extensive involvement and many leadership roles in national and global cancer organizations. He is a Past President of the Council of University Chairs in Obstetrics & Gynecology, and a Past President of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG), and he is the Group Chair of the Cooperative Gynecologic Oncology Investigators (COGI), which is a member group of the GCIG. He is a former member of the Steering Committee for the Cervical Cancer Research Network (CCRN), a former Chair of the GCIG Education Working Group, and a former Chair of the GCIG Gynecologic Cancer Research and Education Task (GREAT) Force. On behalf of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), he is the senior author of the international resource-stratified guidelines for the management of cervical cancer, which provides direction for cancer care for women in developing countries. He has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) on their cervical cancer elimination program. Professor Berek is a Former Chair of International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FIGO) Women’s Cancer Committee and the FIGO Subcommittee on Endometrial Cancer. He co-authored the FIGO staging of ovarian, fallopian tube and peritoneal cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, and vulvar cancer.
In addition to his medical career, Professor Berek is an active documentary filmmaker—creating and directing films on a variety of medical topics that are highlighted by patient stories. He is the Director and Producer of MedArts Films https://vimeo.com/medarts/videos. He directed a series of films for the Stanford Office of Medcial Development, and many short films for the Stanford Center for Health Education that are found on YouTube at the Stanford Medicine Health Shelf. https://www.youtube.com/@Stanford_CHE/playlists
Professor Berek is the Faculty Director of Health Communication for the Stanford Center for Health Education. He founded and served as the Executive Director of the Stanford Health Communication Initiative, which promotes educational and research programs in effective medical communication and health media that affects outcomes and public policy. Jointly sponsored by the Stanford Department of Communication and Stanford Medicine, the Initiative conducts programs in effective and compassionate medical communication.
In collaboration with the Under One Umbrella Committee and Stanford Medical Center Development, Professor Berek has led a highly successful fundraising program for the Stanford Women’s Cancer Center. Since 2009, these Under One Umbrella philanthropy efforts have generated substantial support for innovative research programs in women’s cancer via concerts headlined by celebrities, including Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Darlene Love, and Harry Connick Jr.
https://www.facebook.com/StanfordWomensCancerCenter/
