New Chief of Blood Disorders Named to New Jersey’s Only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health have appointed Matthew Matasar, MD, MS, as Chief of Blood Disorders at New Jersey’s leading cancer center and the only one in the state designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. In this role, he will oversee the Sections of Hematologic Malignancies; Transplant and Cell Therapy; and Benign Hematology. He also will serve as professor of medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He will join the cancer center in November. The selection comes following an extensive national search.

Dr. Matasar comes from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where for the past 14 years, he has held numerous leadership positions including Section Head for Aggressive B-cell Lymphoma. He also served as the inaugural Director of the MSKCC Bergen Cancer Center site in New Jersey.

In his new role as Chief of Blood Disorders at Rutgers Cancer Institute, Matasar will lead the enhancement of multi-disciplinary clinical services including programmatic growth of the bone marrow transplant and cellular therapy programs across the health system. His research alignment will be with the Clinical Investigations and Precision Therapeutics Program, and he will lead clinical research activities within the division and collaborate with colleagues across RWJBarnabas Health on increasing access to clinical trials.

“Dr. Matasar is among the nation’s most experienced clinicians and researchers in routine, rare and complex hematologic malignancies, with extensive expertise in treating these types of cancers with clinical trials, immunotherapy and other cellular therapies,” notes Rutgers Cancer Institute Director Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS, who is also the senior vice president of oncology services at RWJBarnabas Health. “His vast leadership accomplishments complement our wide-ranging scope as an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and we look forward to Dr. Matasar implementing his vision, which will further elevate the stature of our Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy Programs, nationwide.”

“As a national expert in the field of lymphoid malignancies, Dr. Matasar is well prepared to harness his rich experience, exceptional expertise, knowledge and skill in providing patients with blood disorders access to the most advanced, comprehensive care,” notes Andrew M. Evens, DO, MBA, MSc, associate director of clinical services, Rutgers Cancer Institute; and system director of medical oncology, and oncology lead for the Combined Medical Group, RWJBarnabas Health. “We look forward to Dr. Matasar’s leadership as Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health continue to transform cancer management, working to develop new treatments, enhance patient care and improve patient outcomes for the multitude of cancers we diagnose and treat,” adds Dr. Evens, who is also associate vice chancellor, Clinical Innovation and Data Analytics, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences; and professor of medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to join New Jersey’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center to help continue to build on a strong foundation of excellence in stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy research, clinical practice, and clinical trials for our patients at both Rutgers Cancer Institute and across RWJBarnabas Health,” notes Matasar. “I am so excited to help guide the growth of our program, which stands on the pillars of clinical excellence, discovery and innovation, education, health equity, and community engagement. The care of patients facing a diagnosis of a blood disorder is evolving at breathtaking speed, and I am confident that our growing team will continue to lead in driving this change so as to do the very best for our patients and our community.”

Matasar received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and trained in internal medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. He completed a fellowship in medical oncology at MSKCC and subsequently joined MSKCC as an assistant faculty member in the Lymphoma Service in the Department of Medicine.

He has published numerous peer reviewed articles focusing on topics relating to blood cancers and bone marrow transplantation and serves as an ad-hoc reviewer to numerous journals devoted to hematology/oncology. Matasar is also a member of professional societies including the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Hematology, with whom he serves as a committee member at the national level. He is also an elected member of the Board of Trustees for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society New Jersey Chapter.