Richard Drachtman, MD, clinical section chief of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Division at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, has been named the 2018 recipient of the Melvyn H. Motolinsky Research Foundation Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his accomplishments and leadership in the field of pediatric cancer and blood disorders.
Drachtman has clinical expertise and research in childhood cancer and sickle cell disease. He has been with Rutgers Cancer Institute since its inception 25 years ago, having most recently served as the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program interim division chief from 2007 to earlier this year. He is also the director of the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Regional Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, which serves as a statewide referral program.
As an individual investigator, Drachtman has extensive experience in clinical research focused on Hodgkin disease and is often invited to present his work nationally and internationally. He has long developed pediatric cancer clinical trial protocols in conjunction with the national cooperative organization Children’s Oncology Group and other collaborators.
Drachtman also serves as chair of the National Cancer Institute Pediatric Central Institutional Review Board. As part of this expert panel, Drachtman leads medical experts and patient advocates in reviewing national clinical trial protocols designed for pediatric patients.