Growing up in southeast Texas, Joel Helmke, MHA recognized that he wanted to help others. His grandparents were educators and instilled in him a hunger to learn and advance himself, which propelled him down a path that ultimately led him to a career in healthcare management.
Currently, Joel serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. He is responsible for all aspects of the daily operations of this NCI designated comprehensive cancer center, as well as the development of the oncology strategy for the Temple University Health System. Mr. Helmke received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Houston in 1992, and his graduate degree in Healthcare Administration from Texas State University in 1996, where he was later awarded the Allen G. Herkimer Award for outstanding alumnus in 2013.
Mr. Helmke has had a 30-year career in healthcare, with the majority of that time spent in academic cancer centers, including the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and City of Hope in Los Angeles, where he took on increasing challenging roles managing across all mission areas of these organizations.
He is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, and a board member of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers and prior board member for the Association of Cancer Executives. He is happily married to Crissy, his wife of 27 years, a proud father to his 15 yr. old son August and 16 yr. old daughter Jacqueline. In his spare time, he is an avid surfer and hiker.