Dr. Ralph R. Wechsselbaum is chief of radiation therapy and cellular oncology at the University of Chicago Health System.
In his expanded role, effective in November, Weixelbaum is leading efforts to bring radiotherapy to patients at UChicago Medicine, including the Chicago suburbs and northwest Indiana.
“The appointment of Dr. Weichelbaum supports our continued growth and innovation in cancer care and research,” he said. Mark Anderson, MD, PhDexecutive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Chicago. “Radiation oncology is an important part of our work to personalize treatment for all of our cancer patients, supporting them at every step of their recovery.”
UChicago Medicine's cancer program is ranked #1 in Illinois by US News & World Report. The health system is building the state's first free-standing facility dedicated to cancer care and research, which will improve the patient experience, reduce health disparities and accelerate scientific discoveries. The building will be named the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion when it opens in 2027.
In his expanded role, Weichsselbaum will have system-wide oversight of radiation therapy and cellular oncology. He will build on his successful record of managing and improving radiation therapy services across sites in the UChicago Medicine health system and working to ensure all operations are aligned with his academic and clinical missions.
In addition to his position as leader of the health system, Weichelbaum will continue his role as chief of the Department of Radiation Therapy and Cellular Oncology. The department has witnessed remarkable growth and development, including:
Maintains Illinois' largest integrated academic program for radiation oncology, which includes sites in Hyde Park, Ingalls Memorial, Orlando Park, Silver Cross Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The program expanded to Indiana in April 2024 with the opening of UChicago Medicine Crown Point. A long-term clinical partnership and joint residency program with UIC, supporting innovation in patient experience and specialty education. Commitment to basic, translational and clinical research and interdisciplinary collaboration. This has produced a track record of discoveries and changing treatment paradigms, including advances in biophysics and radiotherapy physics. Collaborate with other UChicago departments to recruit basic sciences faculty in chemical biology and immunology. The new faculty members have worked to complement ongoing research in DNA repair, mechanisms of metastasis, and nanotechnology.
At UChicago, Weichselbaum also serves as associate director of the Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research. He is a renowned translational researcher, studying the mechanisms of tumor spread and how radiotherapy and immunotherapy can best be used to treat cancer. He is known for his outstanding clinical and basic scientific investigations into oligodendrocytes; This work, conducted with University of Chicago colleague Samuel Hellman, MD, describes a moderate case of cancer that can be cured or partially controlled with ablative therapies, such as stereotactic radiotherapy.
Weichselbaum maintains an active laboratory and is a principal or co-principal investigator on five NIH grants.
Weichselbaum is widely recognized for his contributions to radiation oncology, and was named one of OncLive's 2024 “Tiants of Cancer Care.” In 2018, he received the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Grand Prix David A. Karnofsky Memorial, as well as the American Society of Radiation Oncology Gold Medal.
Weichelbaum has been a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Medical Association since 1997. He was also editor of the Journal of Cancer Medicine, the definitive reference book compiled to help oncologists and internists apply scientific principles to clinical practice.
