Marvin J. Hoffman, M.D. Lectureship
The Marvin J. Hoffman, MD Lectureship was established to support an annual lecture in the School of Medicine and Dentistry by a distinguished speaker invited by the Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry.
"How Do We Get from Survival Improvements to Cure in Breast Cancer?"
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
11 a.m.−12 p.m.: Lecture & Lunch, 1-9576 Ryan Case Methods Room
12−1 p.m.: Dessert Reception, 1-9580 Forbes Lounge
About the Speaker
Larry Norton, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Norna S. Sarofim Chair of Clinical Oncology, is the Senior Vice President in the Office of the Hospital President and Founding Medical Director of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center. In 1993 he and Evelyn H. Lauder co-founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, currently the world’s largest nongovernmental funder of breast cancer research. He is a Past-President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and is a Fellow of ASCO, AACR, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His research is broad with more than 400 published articles. He is best known for mathematical insights in cancer therapy and biology and for practice-changing clinical trials. Major honors include ASCO’s Karnofsky and Bonadonna Awards, Columbia University’s Gold Medal, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Double Helix Award.
Dr. Marvin Hoffman is clinical professor emeritus of medicine at the School of Medicine & Dentistry and former senior medical director at Excellus Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Rochester, where he played an integral role in establishing its first health maintenance organization, Blue Choice. Nancy Yanes-Hoffman, former president of NYH HealthCare Communications Group, was a highly accomplished author, medical writer, and preventive health expert.
Dr. Hoffman received his bachelor's degree from the University of Rochester in 1945 and his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1947. After completing his internship and residency at Strong Memorial Hospital, he opened his medical practice in Rochester in 1951, when he was also named instructor of medicine at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. From 1953 to 1955, he served as chief medical officer of the U.S. Army Medical Battalion 24th division in Korea and then as chief of the U.S. Army base hospital in Otsu, Japan. Following his military service, Dr. Hoffman returned to Rochester to continue practicing and teaching medicine. In 1984, he was promoted to clinical professor and accepted a post as the first full-time physician at Blue Cross/Blue Shield, where he worked until his retirement in 2008.
Mrs. Hoffman earned her bachelor's degree in 1950 and her master's degree in 1968, both from the University of Rochester and with high distinction. Known professionally as "the writing doctor," Mrs. Hoffman dedicated her career to improving physician-patient communication. She has lectured internationally and authored several books, including Change of Heart: The Bypass Experience. Among other accomplishments, she was a weekly book reviewer for the Los Angeles Times and senior medical writer for U.S. News & World Report.
The Nancy and Marvin Hoffman Medical Scholarship at the School of Medicine & Dentistry was established in 1972 by a grateful family who were patients of Dr. Hoffman. The fund, which continues to be supported by friends, former patients, and the Hoffmans, has assisted 74 Hoffman Scholars, many of whom have become prominent physicians.
