Drew Ridge Elected to Medical Staff President at Fox Chase Cancer Center – Temple Health

John Ridge, MD, PhD, FACS
John Ridge, MD, PhD, FACS

PHILADELPHIA (December 17, 2015) –  John A. “Drew” Ridge, MD, PhD, FACS, the chief of Head and Neck Surgery and Louis Della Penna Family Chair in Head and Neck Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center – Temple Health has been elected President of the Medical Staff at the Center.

In his new role, Ridge will work with President and CEO Richard Fisher, MD and hospital administration to improve physician credentialing and privileging processes, and select physician representatives to committees that oversee patient safety and quality control. 

“Drew has a longstanding interest in quality of care and he has an excellent reputation among his peers, which makes him uniquely qualified to be Medical Staff President,” said James Helstrom, MD, MBA, chief medical officer of Fox Chase Cancer Center. “I’m confident he’ll be very successful in taking on these responsibilities.”

Named one of the Best Doctors in America® for many years, Ridge is one of the leading voices in surgical oncology today. His extensive expertise in treating head and neck cancers has been recognized nationally and abroad. He has been co-chair of the National Cancer Institute Head and Neck Steering Committee, as well as president of the American Head and Neck Society and of the American Radium Society. He has held leadership positions in the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) and NRG cooperative groups. 

“I’m honored by this sign of respect from my colleagues,” Ridge said. “I look forward to working with the medical staff at Fox Chase to implement the quality and safety structures that lead to better clinical outcomes.”­

Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence six consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.

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