Skip to main content
menu

Jonathan W. Friedberg, M.D., M.M.Sc.

Contact Information

Phone Numbers

Appointment: (585) 275-5823

Administrative: (585) 275-4911

Office: (585) 275-5823

Fax: (585) 784-7907

Social Links

@DrJFriedberg

URMFGA member of the University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group

groupAn Accountable Health Partner

assignmentAccepting New Patients

Faculty Appointments

Patient Care Setting

Cancer

Biography

As Director of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, I seek to provide the highest level of compassionate care for patients, ensuring access to novel treatments and clinical trials whenever possible. My background brings the entire continuum of lymphoma experience to patients, from diagnosis through all treatments including autologous stem cell transplantation, CAR-T cell interventions, novel agents, and survivorship.

We have built an incredibly strong team in Rochester to care for patients with lymphoma that is absolutely first rate and internationally recognized. We have expertise in hematopathology, radiation oncology, dermatology, and neurology, in addition to hematology and medical oncology. Driving this team toward excellence – and seeing our success – is highly rewarding.

Lymphoma is a complex set of diseases that can affect any organ system and I was drawn to that challenge. Our understanding of blood cancers in general, and specifically lymphoma, has enabled us to cure a subset of patients – and that also attracted me to this specialty. Happily, this fraction of cured patients has substantially increased during my 20-plus years in this field. Since lymphoma can affect anyone – males, females, young patients, older patients, and all ethnicities – I am rewarded by the interaction with a variety of patients.

My practice team includes Anna Morrison, R.N., Kerri Hugelmaier, N.P.

Conditions I Treat:

- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Professional Background

Jonathan W. Friedberg, M.D., is Director of the James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute and the Samuel Durand Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He is a driving force behind the operations of Wilmot’s clinical and research programs, leading a team of associate directors who help make decisions surrounding Wilmot’s clinical, research, education, and community outreach missions.

Dr. Friedberg serves as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), the flagship journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He began this five-year term in June 2021. Prior to his editor-in-chief role, he served as associated editor of JCO. He has also served as a reviewer and on editorial boards for a number of medical journals.

Friedberg is a chair of the lymphoma committee in the SWOG group of the NCI National Clinical Trials Network and is an independently R01-funded investigator in the field of lymphoid malignancies.

Dr. Friedberg received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. His postgraduate training included an internship and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also completed a medical oncology and hematology fellowship at Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care in Boston. Dr. Friedberg also has an M.M.Sc. degree from Harvard Medical School in clinical investigation. He holds subspecialty certification in Medical Oncology and Hematology.

His research interests focus on development of novel therapies for patients with lymphoma. He formerly received a Scholar in Clinical Research award from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, based upon his work with an oral inhibitor of a protein called Syk, which demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of several different forms of lymphoma. He is currently funded as PI of the ILyAD trial, evaluating patients with follicular lymphoma receiving rituximab with a vitamin D intervention. As chair of SWOG, he is co-leader of the current North American intergroup effort in advanced stage Hodgkin lymphoma. He is also a founding member of the Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes Consortium.

Credentials

Specialties

    Education

    1994
    MD | Harvard Medical School

    Post-doctoral Training & Residency

    07/01/1997 - 06/01/1999
    Fellowship in Hematology & Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

    07/01/1995 - 06/01/1997
    Residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital

    07/01/1994 - 06/30/1995
    Internship in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital

    VIEW ALL expand_more

    Awards

    2012
    Faculty Academic Mentoring Award
    Sponsor: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
    Location: University of Rochester

    2008 - 2008
    Scholar in Clinical Research
    Sponsor: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

    2008 - 2008
    America's Top Doctors Selection

    2007 - 2007
    Jacob Gitelman Award
    Sponsor: Gilda's Club and Cancer Action
    Location: Rochester, NY

    2004 - 2006
    Lawrence A. Kohn Senior Teaching Fellow
    Sponsor: Institute of Medicine
    Location: Outstanding Teaching Contributions, Department of Medicine, Univ

    2003 - 2003
    Clinical Investigator Career Development Award
    Sponsor: Lymphoma Research Foundation

    2001 - 2003
    Clinical Oncology Research Fellowship " Immunotherapy of Hodgkin's Disease"
    Sponsor: Berlex Oncology Foundation

    2001 - 2003
    Rising stars program for innovative research
    Sponsor: Dunkin Donuts and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Department of Adu

    VIEW ALL expand_more

    Clinical Trials

    A Global Multicenter Phase 1/2 Trial of EO2463, a Novel Microbial-Derived Peptide Therapeutic Vaccine, as Monotherapy, and in Combination With Lenalidomide and Rituximab, for Treatment of Patients With Indolent Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

    Lead Researcher: Jonathan W Friedberg MD

    The purpose of this study is to define the recommended Phase 2 Dose, safety, tolerability, immunogenicity, and preliminary efficacy of EO2463 during monotherapy and in combination with lenalidomide and/or rituximab in patients with indolent NHL

    View Study Details

    Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes Cohort Years 6-10

    Lead Researcher: Jonathan W Friedberg MD

    The goal of this infrastructure protocol is to build and maintain a large and diverse observational cohort study to support broad and cutting-edge research focused on NHL prognosis and survivorship. The LEO cohort will promote identification of clinical (including co-morbid diseases), epidemiologic (including lifestyle and other exposures), host genetic, tumor, and treatment factors that impact multiple outcomes (including event-free, overall and lymphoma-specific survival; new onset comorbidities; and patient-reported outcomes). This resource also will allow examination of the interaction among these factors in order to better understand the clinical and molecular epidemiology of outcomes in NHL. Ultimately, this approach will drive discovery and validation of treatment endpoints, improve prognostication, and identify novel approaches to improve short and long-term outcomes for NHL patients.

    View Study Details

    Publications

    Journal Articles

    1/13/2024
    Cerhan JR, Maurer MJ, Link BK, Feldman AL, Habermann TM, Jaye DL, Burack WR, McDonnell TJ, Vega F, Chapman JR, Syrbu S, Vij KR, Inghirami G, Leonard JP, Bernal-Mizrachi L, Farooq U, Witzig TE, Weiner GJ, Wang Y, Alderuccio JP, Slager SL, Larson MC, Riska SM, Gysbers BJ, Lunde JJ, Reicks TW, Ayers AA, O'Leary CB, Yost KJ, Liu H, Nowakowski GS, Ruan J, Chihara D, Koff JL, Casulo C, Thompson CA, Cohen JB, Kahl BS, Nastoupil LJ, Lossos IS, Friedberg JW, Martin P, Flowers CR. "The Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes cohort study: Design, baseline characteristics, and early outcomes." American journal of hematology.. 2024 Jan 13; Epub 2024 Jan 13.

    1/2/2024
    Lo AC, Liu A, Liu Q, Yasui Y, Castellino SM, Kelly KM, Hererra AF, Friedberg JW, Friedman DL, Schwartz CL, Pei Q, Kessel S, Bergeron-Gravel S, Dama H, Roberts K, Constine LS, Hodgson DC. "Late Cardiac Toxic Effects Associated With Treatment Protocols for Hodgkin Lymphoma in Children." JAMA network open.. 2024 Jan 2; 7(1):e2351062. Epub 2024 Jan 02.

    12/20/2023
    O'Reilly EM, Ko AH, Friedberg JW. "Flashback Foreword: Gemcitabine for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer." Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.. 2023 Dec 20; 41(36):5479-5480.

    Books & Chapters

    2008
    Chapter Title: Beyond rituximab: the future of monoclonal antibody in B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
    Book Title: Current Oncology Reports
    Author List: Sikder M, Friedberg JW:
    Published By: Current Oncology Reports 2008

    2008
    Chapter Title: : Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas
    Book Title: Cancer, Principles & Practice of Oncology 8th edition
    Author List: Friedberg JW, Mauch PM, Rimsza LM, Fisher RI
    Published By: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2008

    2008
    Chapter Title: Lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin's lymphoma. Evidence-based Hematology
    Book Title: Evidence-based Hematology
    Author List: McMahon B, Friedberg JW
    Published By: Evidence based Hematology 2008

    VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS

    Reviews

    At URMC, we believe that patients should be empowered to make the right decisions regarding their personal healthcare. To do so, transparency is critical. URMC partners with Press Ganey, to survey our patients about all aspects of their care experience. We are now putting this pertinent information at your fingertips by displaying star ratings for our providers along with anonymous patient comments on our website. This will help you make better-informed choices about how and with whom you seek care. Click here to learn more about the surveys used to generate this vital information.