News

Horwitz Promoted to Vice Chairman of Radiation Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center

PHILADELPHIA (Dec. 26, 2007)—Fox Chase Cancer Center has promoted Eric M. Horwitz, M.D., of Blue Bell, Pa., to vice chairman of the department of radiation oncology. Since joining the staff in 1997, Horwitz "has made exceptional contributions to the institution and to the field of radiation oncology," radiation oncology chairman Alan Pollack, M.D., Ph.D., noted in announcing the promotion.

"As clinical director since 2003, he has been a major contributor to the progress of the department," Pollack said. "Dr. Horwitz will be instrumental in supporting our plans for expansion over the next several years.

Listed in Philadelphia Magazine's "Top Docs" issue for the last three years, Horwitz is recognized nationally for his expertise in treating patients with prostate cancer. At Fox Chase, he has developed advanced programs using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy and brachytherapy. These include high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy for prostate cancer, a treatment using temporary radiation implants. As a result, Fox Chase was the first in the Northeast United States to offer HDR implants to men with prostate cancer.

In addition, Horwitz integrated the use of an MRI treatment simulator into prostate cancer treatment planning for both permanent, low-dose prostate implants and external radiation therapy. Fox Chase was the first in the world to use MRI in radiation treatment planning.

Horwitz has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and is a co-author of several chapters in various oncology texts. He has been invited to give numerous lectures and presentations at professional meetings in the United States and abroad.

He serves on the editorial board of the journal Brachytherapy and is treasurer of the American Brachytherapy Society's board of directors. He is also active in the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology and the American College of Radiology.

Horwitz received his M.D. from Albany College in New York after earning his undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He completed both his internship and residency at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. He was chief resident in radiation oncology there before he came to Fox Chase in 1997. In 2003, he was promoted from associate member to member with tenure in Fox Chase's division of medical science.