Fox Chase Cancer Center
333 Cottman Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111
Chair, Department of Clinical Genetics
Professor, Department of Clinical Genetics
Director, Gastrointestinal Risk Assessment
Colorectal and SI Cancer TRDG Member
Esophagus, Pancreas, and Liver Cancer TRDG Member
NCCN, Genetic Colorectal/Colorectal Cancer Screening Panel Member
I am a GI oncologist and a clinical cancer geneticist, and I have found over the years that my strongest skills are in helping my patients and their families to understand the complicated risks of cancer screening, surgery and treatment, to weigh the different options for treatment, and finally to develop a plan that is both in line with cutting edge research but also with their personal needs and preferences for their health and their lives. In cancer medicine, there is no longer a one size fits all approach, and in my practice I strive to build on my patients’ unique strengths and to further bring the multi-faceted expertise of my colleagues at Fox Chase and my colleagues nationally to offer each of my patients the best care I possibly can.
Unfortunately, because of COVID-19 precautions, my kids couldn’t be with me when I rang the bell to celebrate my last treatment in May. However, I was able to finish treatment with all the same nurses and staff who were there from the very beginning. They became like family to me.
I am BRCA1 and BRCA2 positive, meaning I have mutations in those two genes that make me more susceptible to cancer. When I was 67 years old, I was diagnosed with premalignant pancreatic cysts and anal cancer in the same year.
Working for the Willingboro School District in New Jersey and the Colonial School District in Delaware, as an educator for over 25 years, I know the value of good health insurance. I never took for granted the benefits provided to me by the state, and that meant making sure I routinely got a colonoscopy. They aren’t fun, but they might save your life – they saved mine.
As a nurse, I thought I had a good handle on my health. But in 2015, I went for a colonoscopy because I’d been experiencing rectal bleeding, and instead of a diagnosis I got the surprise of a lifetime.
When I started experiencing chronic and uncomfortable digestive issues over the course of two years, my primary care doctor prescribed heartburn medication, and I made changes in my diet. During that period, I often had an achy, acidy stomach, and I was taking Tums all the time. When the symptoms continued, my doctor referred me to a gastrointestinal specialist who conducted an endoscopy to examine my digestive tract in 2015.
The Risk Assessment Program at Fox Chase looks at your personal and possible inherited genetic factors that may put you at higher possibility for getting cancer. We comprehensively examine your profile for all cancer types, including — but not limited to — breast cancer, ovarian cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, prostate cancer, and melanoma. Knowing your risk helps you learn what you can do to lower your chances of getting cancer.
The Department of Clinical Genetics is built on the success of Fox Chase's Margaret Dyson Family Risk Assessment Program (now Risk Assessment Program), which Dr. Mary Daly began in 1991. A high-risk screening clinic was developed for individuals with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer. In addition to the clinic, genetic counseling was provided for both high risk and breast and ovarian cancer patients. As the clinic developed, it became clear that it was important to provide consultations for biopsy findings that put women at increased risk. Since then, Fox Chase has expanded risk assessment services to those at high risk for all cancers.
Nicolas E, Tricarico R, Savage M, Golemis EA, Hall MJ. Disease-Associated Genetic Variation in Human Mitochondrial Protein Import. American Journal of Human Genetics, 2019. PubMed
Arora S, Yan H, Cho I, Fan HY, Luo B, Gai X, Bodian DL, Vockley JG, Zhou Y, Handorf E, Egleston B, Andrake M, Nicolas E, Serebriiskii IG, Yen TJ, Hall MJ, Golemis EA, Enders GH. Genetic Variants That Presdispose to DNA Double-strand Breaks in Lymphocytes from a Subset of Patients With Familial Colorectal Carcinomas. Gastroenterology. 2015 Sep 4. pii: S0016-5085(15)01259-7. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2015.08.052. [Epub ahead of print].
Guindalini RS, Win AK, Gulden C, Lindor NM, Newcomb PA, Haile RW, Raymond V, Stoffel E, Hall MJ, Llor X, Ukaegbu CI, Solomon I, Weitzel J, Kalady M, Blanco A, Terdiman J, Shuttlesworth GA, Lynch PM, Hampel H, Lynch HT, Jenkins MA, Olopade OI, Kupfer SS. Mutation spectrum and risk of colorectal cancer in African American families with Lynch Syndrome. Gastroenterology. 2015 Aug 3. pii: S0016-5085(15)01084-7. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2015.07.052. [Epub ahead of print].
Nicolas E, Arora S, Zhou Y, Serebriiskii IG, Andrake MD, Handorf ED, Bodian DL, Vockley JG, Dunbrack RL, Ross EA, Hall MJ, Golemis EA, Giri VN, Daly MB. Systematic evaluation of underlying defects in DNA repair as an approach to case-only assessment of familial prostate cancer. (Accepted Sept 2015, Oncotarget NIHMSID # 722094).
Meyer JE, Cohen SJ, Ruth KJ, Sigurdson E, Hall MJ. Young age increases risk of lymph node positivity in early stage rectal cancer. (Accepted Sept 2015, JNCI).
Boland, PM, Ruth K, Matro JM, Rainey KL, Fang CY, Wong YN, Daly MB, Hall, MJ. Genetic counselors’ (GC) knowledge, awareness, and understanding of clinical next-generation sequencing (NGS) genomic testing. Clinical Genetics 2015. PubMed
Hall MJ, Innocent J, Rybak CM, Veloski C, Scott WJ, Wu H, Ridge JA, Hoffman JP, Borghaei H, Turaka A, Daly MB. Case Report: Bilateral granulosa cell carcinoma: A novel malignant manifestation of MEN1 syndrome associated with a rare intronic deletion. Appl Clin Gen 2014. PubMed
Hall MJ, Forman AD, Montgomery SV, Rainey KL, Daly MB. Understanding patient and provider perceptions and expectations of genomic medicine. J Surg Oncol 2014.
Bradbury AR, Patrick-Miller L, Long J, Stopfer J, Forman A, Rybak C, Mattie K, ChungW, Churpek J, Clark-Farengo D, Daly M, Digiovanni L, Fetzer D, Ganschow P, Grana G, Gulden C, Hall MJ, Kohler L, Lorenz R, Maxwell K, Merrill S, Montgomery S, Nathanson K, Nielsen S, Olopade O, Rainey K, Seelaus C, Domchek S. Development of a tiered and binned counseling model for informed consent in the era of multiplex testing for cancer susceptibility Genet Med. 2014 Oct 9. PubMed
Hall MJ, Forman AD, Pilarski R, Wiesner G, Giri VN. Gene panel testing for inherited cancer risk. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2014 Sep;12(9):1339-1346. PubMed
Hall MJ. Conflicted Confidence: Academic Oncologists' Views on Multiplex Pharmacogenomic Testing. J Clin Oncol. 2014 Mar 24. PubMed
Hall MJ, Herda MM, Handorf EA, Rybak CC, Keleher CA, Siemon M, Daly MB. Direct access to universal mismatch repair (MMR) screening results for Lynch syndrome (LS) via electronic personal health record (ePHR):A feasibility study.Genet Med. 2014 May 1.
Matro JM, Ruth KJ, Wong YN, McCully KC, Rybak CM, Meropol NJ, Hall MJ. Cost-sharing and hereditary cancer risk: predictors of willingness-to-pay for genetic testing. J Genet Couns. 2014 May 6.
Hall MJ, Manne SL, Myers RE, Keenan EM, Balshem AM, Weinberg DS. Association of knowledge and race to gene environment risk assessment (GERA) testing for colorectal cancer Genome Med 2012;4(11):92 [epub ahead of print] PMID: 23194586.
Hall MJ, Ruth K, Giri VN. Predictors of compliance with age-appropriate colorectal cancer screening in men enrolled in a prostate cancer screening program. Cancer 2012 Jan 15;118(2):478-84.
Fox Chase Cancer Center
333 Cottman Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111
Chair, Department of Clinical Genetics
Professor, Department of Clinical Genetics
Director, Gastrointestinal Risk Assessment
Colorectal and SI Cancer TRDG Member
Esophagus, Pancreas, and Liver Cancer TRDG Member
NCCN, Genetic Colorectal/Colorectal Cancer Screening Panel Member
I am a GI oncologist and a clinical cancer geneticist, and I have found over the years that my strongest skills are in helping my patients and their families to understand the complicated risks of cancer screening, surgery and treatment, to weigh the different options for treatment, and finally to develop a plan that is both in line with cutting edge research but also with their personal needs and preferences for their health and their lives. In cancer medicine, there is no longer a one size fits all approach, and in my practice I strive to build on my patients’ unique strengths and to further bring the multi-faceted expertise of my colleagues at Fox Chase and my colleagues nationally to offer each of my patients the best care I possibly can.
The Risk Assessment Program at Fox Chase looks at your personal and possible inherited genetic factors that may put you at higher possibility for getting cancer. We comprehensively examine your profile for all cancer types, including — but not limited to — breast cancer, ovarian cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, prostate cancer, and melanoma. Knowing your risk helps you learn what you can do to lower your chances of getting cancer.
The Department of Clinical Genetics is built on the success of Fox Chase's Margaret Dyson Family Risk Assessment Program (now Risk Assessment Program), which Dr. Mary Daly began in 1991. A high-risk screening clinic was developed for individuals with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer. In addition to the clinic, genetic counseling was provided for both high risk and breast and ovarian cancer patients. As the clinic developed, it became clear that it was important to provide consultations for biopsy findings that put women at increased risk. Since then, Fox Chase has expanded risk assessment services to those at high risk for all cancers.
Nicolas E, Tricarico R, Savage M, Golemis EA, Hall MJ. Disease-Associated Genetic Variation in Human Mitochondrial Protein Import. American Journal of Human Genetics, 2019. PubMed
Arora S, Yan H, Cho I, Fan HY, Luo B, Gai X, Bodian DL, Vockley JG, Zhou Y, Handorf E, Egleston B, Andrake M, Nicolas E, Serebriiskii IG, Yen TJ, Hall MJ, Golemis EA, Enders GH. Genetic Variants That Presdispose to DNA Double-strand Breaks in Lymphocytes from a Subset of Patients With Familial Colorectal Carcinomas. Gastroenterology. 2015 Sep 4. pii: S0016-5085(15)01259-7. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2015.08.052. [Epub ahead of print].
Guindalini RS, Win AK, Gulden C, Lindor NM, Newcomb PA, Haile RW, Raymond V, Stoffel E, Hall MJ, Llor X, Ukaegbu CI, Solomon I, Weitzel J, Kalady M, Blanco A, Terdiman J, Shuttlesworth GA, Lynch PM, Hampel H, Lynch HT, Jenkins MA, Olopade OI, Kupfer SS. Mutation spectrum and risk of colorectal cancer in African American families with Lynch Syndrome. Gastroenterology. 2015 Aug 3. pii: S0016-5085(15)01084-7. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2015.07.052. [Epub ahead of print].
Nicolas E, Arora S, Zhou Y, Serebriiskii IG, Andrake MD, Handorf ED, Bodian DL, Vockley JG, Dunbrack RL, Ross EA, Hall MJ, Golemis EA, Giri VN, Daly MB. Systematic evaluation of underlying defects in DNA repair as an approach to case-only assessment of familial prostate cancer. (Accepted Sept 2015, Oncotarget NIHMSID # 722094).
Meyer JE, Cohen SJ, Ruth KJ, Sigurdson E, Hall MJ. Young age increases risk of lymph node positivity in early stage rectal cancer. (Accepted Sept 2015, JNCI).
Boland, PM, Ruth K, Matro JM, Rainey KL, Fang CY, Wong YN, Daly MB, Hall, MJ. Genetic counselors’ (GC) knowledge, awareness, and understanding of clinical next-generation sequencing (NGS) genomic testing. Clinical Genetics 2015. PubMed
Hall MJ, Innocent J, Rybak CM, Veloski C, Scott WJ, Wu H, Ridge JA, Hoffman JP, Borghaei H, Turaka A, Daly MB. Case Report: Bilateral granulosa cell carcinoma: A novel malignant manifestation of MEN1 syndrome associated with a rare intronic deletion. Appl Clin Gen 2014. PubMed
Hall MJ, Forman AD, Montgomery SV, Rainey KL, Daly MB. Understanding patient and provider perceptions and expectations of genomic medicine. J Surg Oncol 2014.
Bradbury AR, Patrick-Miller L, Long J, Stopfer J, Forman A, Rybak C, Mattie K, ChungW, Churpek J, Clark-Farengo D, Daly M, Digiovanni L, Fetzer D, Ganschow P, Grana G, Gulden C, Hall MJ, Kohler L, Lorenz R, Maxwell K, Merrill S, Montgomery S, Nathanson K, Nielsen S, Olopade O, Rainey K, Seelaus C, Domchek S. Development of a tiered and binned counseling model for informed consent in the era of multiplex testing for cancer susceptibility Genet Med. 2014 Oct 9. PubMed
Hall MJ, Forman AD, Pilarski R, Wiesner G, Giri VN. Gene panel testing for inherited cancer risk. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2014 Sep;12(9):1339-1346. PubMed
Hall MJ. Conflicted Confidence: Academic Oncologists' Views on Multiplex Pharmacogenomic Testing. J Clin Oncol. 2014 Mar 24. PubMed
Hall MJ, Herda MM, Handorf EA, Rybak CC, Keleher CA, Siemon M, Daly MB. Direct access to universal mismatch repair (MMR) screening results for Lynch syndrome (LS) via electronic personal health record (ePHR):A feasibility study.Genet Med. 2014 May 1.
Matro JM, Ruth KJ, Wong YN, McCully KC, Rybak CM, Meropol NJ, Hall MJ. Cost-sharing and hereditary cancer risk: predictors of willingness-to-pay for genetic testing. J Genet Couns. 2014 May 6.
Hall MJ, Manne SL, Myers RE, Keenan EM, Balshem AM, Weinberg DS. Association of knowledge and race to gene environment risk assessment (GERA) testing for colorectal cancer Genome Med 2012;4(11):92 [epub ahead of print] PMID: 23194586.
Hall MJ, Ruth K, Giri VN. Predictors of compliance with age-appropriate colorectal cancer screening in men enrolled in a prostate cancer screening program. Cancer 2012 Jan 15;118(2):478-84.
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27 PATIENT COMMENTS
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5.0
November 24, 2019
it was a wonderful experience, as usual!!
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5.0
November 17, 2019
The team at Fox Chase is the best Dr. Hall & [...] & staff can't ask for anything better thanks.
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5.0
November 17, 2019
The care I have received over the years was excelllent! I am so blessed to be cancer free for 5 years!
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5.0
November 05, 2019
Very good experience.
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5.0
November 04, 2019
Excellent care from Dr. Hall, nurses, and staff at reception desk.
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5.0
October 24, 2019
Dr Hall is an excellent doctor and I'm lucky to be in his care
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5.0
October 17, 2019
We love Dr. Hall and his staff, he always goes above and beyond for my husband. Fox Chase is a patient-centered facility.
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5.0
October 16, 2019
[...] All visits with Dr. Hall were very good.
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5.0
September 29, 2019
Dr. Michael Hall, Dr. [...], and Dr. [...] are very informative & caring doctors with great "bedside manners".
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4.5
September 29, 2019
A great provider [...] Dr. Hall is just fantastic & most humane guy.
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5.0
September 06, 2019
always a wonderful experience with Dr. Hall and his staff!!
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5.0
August 13, 2019
Dr. Michelle Savage is excellent and explains issues very clearly and caring.
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5.0
August 01, 2019
Dr. Hall & Dr. [...] are the best doctors! They are excellent in their field - Knowledgeable, caring and listen very well to me as their patient. So glad they are my doctors.
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5.0
July 29, 2019
Our experience with Fox Chase was as pleasant as could be expected, with that being said there are no words to express we feel about Dr.Hall he was the kind of doctor we had wanted right to the point didn't sugar coat anything was very honest and compassionate my family and I truly admire him. [...]
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5.0
July 22, 2019
Dr. Hall and [...] were excellent. Very professional, considerate and knowledgeable.
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5.0
July 22, 2019
[...] and Dr. Hall were very courteous, knowledgeable and compassionate.
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5.0
July 19, 2019
When I entered the Fox Chase Center, I was very nerovous and feeling despair. During my initial visit with Dr. Hall, I was devasted with the reults of my biopsy and the most likely outcome of my cancer. DR. Hall and his team were so sensitive and gentle with me. They made sure that I was not going to leave without the HOPE that there could beapossible treatment tohelp me deal with my cancer. I started my treatment with a few road blocks along theway. Once the Dr. realized thata new course of action may be more suited, Dr. Hall and his team were there to help me get started on a new treatment more suitable to my needs. Today I continue to struggle to live longer with all the professional assistance from Fox Chase. I justdont know where I would be without Dr. Hall andhis team. They havebecome my ANGELS OF HOPE [...]. Im forever grateful and I thank them all from the bottom of my heart. They have given the strengthto fight cancer, andthat iswhat I am doing !!!! [...]
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5.0
June 30, 2019
Dr. Hall is knowledgeable, and communicates that knowledge well to the layperson. He is personable, and is fully present and attentive during the appointment.
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5.0
June 26, 2019
Very good & professional.
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5.0
June 09, 2019
I love Dr. Hall and Dr. [...]. They're both amazing doctors and I tell everyone how great Fox Chase is and how they saved my life and am grateful.
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