James Metz
Governing Board MD Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Perelman School of MedicineJames Metz, MD serves as Chair of Radiation Oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine and holds the Henry K. Pancoast Endowed Professorship. He is Associate Director for Clinical Services and Programs at the Abramson Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Metz led the development of the Roberts Proton Therapy Center, the largest proton center in the world completely integrated with conventional cancer services. Dr. Metz has become an international leader in the application of proton therapy for the treatment of a variety of malignancies. He continues to work to integrate proton therapy as a new treatment paradigm for cancer and is leading the expansion of proton therapy.
Dr. Metz specializes in the use of radiation for the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies. His research interests include the treatment of GI malignancies in the multidisciplinary setting, as well as the utilization of complementary and alternative medications by cancer patients, and use of the Internet to provide cancer related information. A major area of interest has been the development of proton therapy at Penn and internationally.
Dr. Metz also serves as Executive Director of OncoLink (www.oncolink.upenn.edu), the award winning Internet resource from the Abramson Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania that was founded in 1994. As Executive Director, Dr. Metz leads OncoLink’s mission to help cancer patients, families, healthcare professionals, and the general public find accurate cancer-related information online. The website has led the way in online education for cancer patients and healthcare providers, receiving numerous awards and recognition from most major authorities as one of the best cancer information websites. Currently OncoLink is developing interactive content and personalized information for individuals while collecting important information to move the field forward, particularly in the area of cancer survivorship. Its reach is international in scope with over 285,000 unique visitors served per month.