New Chief of Cancer Survivorship Named to New Jersey’s Only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health has appointed Louise Ligresti, MD, as chief of Cancer Survivorship at New Jersey’s leading cancer center and the only one in the state designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Ligresti will lead the cancer survivorship programs at Rutgers Cancer Institute and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility.

In her new role at Rutgers Cancer Institute, Ligresti will lead the enhancement of the clinical survivorship services, which consists of two complementary clinical programs to meet the needs of children and adults who have survived cancer. The LITE (Long-term, Information, Treatment-effects Evaluation) Program, provides ongoing evaluation, education, and support for childhood cancer survivors, addressing unique challenges faced by this population including late effects of therapy. The Survivorship Program provides long-term evaluation, support, and health education for adult cancer survivors. 

“Cancer survivorship starts at the time of diagnosis and continues during and after treatment, and due to advances in detection, diagnosis, and treatment in cancer care, the number of cancer survivors is growing,” notes Andrew M. Evens, DO, MBA, MSc, associate director of clinical services, Rutgers Cancer Institute; and system director of medical oncology, and oncology lead for the Combined Medical Group, RWJBarnabas Health. “Dr. Ligresti’s clinical expertise in post-acute and long-term cancer survivorship care will enhance patient care and improve patient outcomes for the multitude of cancers we diagnose and treat,” adds Dr. Evens, who is also associate vice chancellor of Clinical Innovation and Data Analytics, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences; professor of medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and co-director of the Cancer Survivorship and Outcomes Center at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

In her new role, Ligresti will collaborate with all specialties across adult oncology and pediatric oncology on best practices in clinical survivorship care. She will see patients at Rutgers Cancer Institute and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility. She will also actively engage with the survivorship research teams at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health to participate in groundbreaking clinical research, including through the enrollment of patients into clinical trials.

“The mission of the Cancer Survivorship and Outcomes Center at Rutgers Cancer Institute is to improve the quality and reach of cancer survivorship care in our catchment area, which is the state of New Jersey,” notes Sharon L. Manne, PhD, professor of Medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, chief of Behavioral Sciences in the Division of Medical Oncology, and co-director of the Cancer Survivorship and Outcomes Center at Rutgers Cancer Institute. “We are thrilled to have Dr. Ligresti join the survivorship effort to foster optimum survivorship care and work with our researchers to enhance our goals to improve outcomes for survivors in our state,” adds Dr. Manne.

“I am excited to join New Jersey’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center to work together with clinicians and scientists across varied disciplines to find and implement new and improved ways to help cancer survivors address their unique medical, physical, and psychosocial challenges and needs,” notes Ligresti. “My vision is to improve the experience and outcomes of patients and caregivers throughout all phases of their cancer journey by advancing survivorship research, clinical care and education.”

Ligresti received her medical degree from the State University of New York - Health Science Center at Syracuse, Syracuse, NY. She trained in internal medicine and completed a fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.