First person profile: Thomas Lynch Jr, MD

Thomas (Tom) Lynch Jr, MD, became interested in medicine and oncology at a young age, as his father was a hematologist who had a home office. “I would see the patients go in and out, and I became very interested in what he was able to do as an early cancer doctor,” he says. “That got me interested in my own career in medicine.” Today, Dr Lynch says that his career is more focused on leadership and mentoring. “I want to identify factors that make doctors successful and allow them to connect to patients, and to create a culture where science is able to thrive,” he says. “I’d like to see where we can quickly take the findings from laboratories to change clinical practice in caring for patients with cancer.” Dr Lynch received his MD from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and did his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston. He earned his fellowship in medical oncology at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. He is currently the Raisbeck Endowed Chair and the president and director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, a recent merger of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, in Seattle. Before coming to Fred Hutch, Dr Lynch was the chief scientific officer at Bristol Myers Squibb for 3 years during its entry into and successful development of impactful immunotherapies, including nivolumab and ipilimumab. He also served as chairman and chief executive officer of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, as director of the Yale Cancer Center, as physician-in-chief of Yale’s Smilow Cancer Hospital, as professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine, as chief of hematology–oncology at MGH, and as professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr Lynch has been involved in many clinical trials and research studies. Early in his career, he was part of the first research team to discover how targeted therapies could dramatically change outcomes for patients with lung cancer through mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene.1 The identification of EGFR mutations and that connection with a response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy constituted a true paradigm-shifting moment in the treatment of non–small cell lung cancer. Patients with lung cancer are now tested for 10 different mutations; the thought of treating patients without knowing their tumor’s driver mutation is inconceivable today. Dr Lynch was also the senior author on a study showing that patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer who received early palliative care had less aggressive care at the end of life as well as longer survival.2 “Tom’s contributions are many,” says Dr Lynch’s colleague Howard (Skip) Burris III, MD, president and chief medical officer of the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee. “He’s been a leader in the discovery of the EGFR gene mutation and the very successful therapies to treat this type of aggressive lung cancer and in building the renowned thoracic oncology research program at Mass General, in recruiting a world-class faculty and the successful application of the Yale Cancer Center’s NCI CCC [National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center] status, and is now bringing together the cancer institutions of Seattle into one world class center under the Fred Hutchinson structure.” “For the first 20 years of my career, I had an enormously large practice of patients mostly with lung cancer. I have maintained a clinical focus over the years; I still see patients at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle,” says Dr Lynch. “But over time I have become much more involved in leadership. The jobs that I have taken may seem different, but they really are not—they are about figuring out what doctors and scientists need to be successful in advancing patient care.” Dr Burris says that Dr Lynch has the rare and impactful skill of bringing together successful and high-ego people to collaborate to make great progress for patients and the cancer community. “Tom is a passionate cancer researcher, a mentor to many, and a very successful physician executive,” says Dr Burris. “His low-ego, highly motivating, passionate style makes him a unique leader.” Dr Lynch recognizes people for their accomplishments and shares credit, says Roy Herbst, MD, PhD, deputy director for clinical affairs, chief of medical oncology, and associate cancer center director for translational research at the Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital and assistant dean for translational research at the Yale School of Medicine. “Tom is a talented and inspiring colleague who helps bring out the best in people,” he says. “He really knows how to get a team to work together, especially to bring new benefits to patients that translate from the lab to the clinic.” Dr Lynch’s mentors include John S. Lazo, MD, Abe Lopeman, MD, and Catherine Lyons, RN, MS, who were then at Yale, and Bruce Chabner, MD, who was then chief of oncology at MGH. In turn, Dr Lynch has mentored many others. “I have known Dr Lynch for many years through participation in lung cancer conferences and cooperative groups. We co-chaired a CME [continuing medical education] conference in Florida for several years,” says Heather Wakelee, MD, professor of medicine, chief of the Division of Oncology, and interim medical director of the Stanford Cancer Center; deputy director of the Stanford Cancer Institute; and president of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. “Dr Lynch has incredible energy and is very supportive of his colleagues. He is a tireless advocate for his mentees and has helped to launch the careers of many. He has supported me in my career through opportunities to give talks, help with collaborations and connections, and behindthe-scenes advocacy for me and my work.” Jennifer Temel, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and clinical director of thoracic oncology and codirector of cancer outcomes research and education at MGH, says that Dr Lynch was the most invested and engaged mentor she could have asked for. “He was incredibly involved in supporting all his mentees, both personally and professionally,” she says. “I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him and try to emulate the enthusiasm and excitement he showed for me, my research, and career with my own mentees.”