At the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, clinicians and scientists produce knowledge to cure disease, conducting clinical trials and basic and translational science to improve cancer treatment. To help propel the Feinstein Institutes’ cancer research, Tobias Janowitz, MD, PhD, has been appointed director of its Institute of Cancer Research. In addition, he will take on the roles of Robert and Janet Perro Professor in Cancer Research and director of Translational Cancer Research at Northwell Health’s Cancer Institute. Dr. Janowitz will continue to lead his established research program at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Cancer Center while leading the CSHL/Northwell strategic affiliation.
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Dr. Tobias Janowitz has been named the new director of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research’s Institute of Cancer Research (Credit: Feinstein Institutes)
“I look forward to the great honor and responsibility of overseeing cancer research at Northwell and the Feinstein Institutes and bringing two scientific leaders — Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and the Feinstein Institutes — more closely together,” said Dr. Janowitz. “These scientists, along with collaborators worldwide, will advance cancer diagnostic and treatment options to help the millions of people living with cancer.”
A scientist for more than 20 years, Dr. Janowitz studies the mechanisms that drive cancer progression. His research identifies the metabolic, neuroendocrine and immune circuits that determine disease progression and the body’s therapeutic response. Dr. Janowitz and his team have shown how the systemic stress imposed by a tumor alters energy metabolism, elevates stress hormones and weakens the immune system, the combination of changes that underlies cancer cachexia, a severe wasting syndrome that many patients with cancer experience. As a gastrointestinal oncologist, his goal is to redefine treatment by addressing the entire patient, not just the tumor.
“Dr. Janowitz’s contributions to cancer research are widely recognized,” said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and the Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. “His leadership will attract additional scientific expertise to join us in transforming the future research and treatment of cancer.”
Treating cancer and offering cutting-edge clinical trials continues to be a priority for Northwell. In 2025, the health system unveiled the Northwell-START New York-Long Island facility, an early-phase cancer clinical trial center at its R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Center. This is New York’s first START site, part of the world’s largest network, and builds on a 2024 partnership to deliver cutting-edge clinical trials directly to patients in their communities.
“Dr. Janowitz is a sought-after international expert in cancer research,” said Richard Barakat, MD, physician-in-chief and executive director of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute, senior vice president of cancer services and the Edward and Carole Miller Distinguished Chair in Cancer. “We are excited to welcome him as a leader within Northwell’s Cancer Institute, which will only help strengthen our partnership with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.”
Holding both an MD and PhD from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, Dr. Janowitz is trained both as a clinician and as a laboratory scientist, and he continues to care for patients while directing his research program.
Jeff Boyd, PhD will continue as professor in the Institute of Cancer Research and vice president, chief scientific officer and director of the Center for Genomic Medicine at Northwell’s Cancer Institute and the Carol and Arnold Wolowitz Professor in Cancer Research.
About the Feinstein Institutes
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.
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