Ravi Vij, MD, who has dedicated his career to advancing treatments for blood cancers, has been installed as the inaugural Jeffrey S. and Prue H. Gershman Distinguished Professor in the John T. Milliken Department of Medicine at WashU Medicine.
Vij, a professor of medicine in the department’s Division of Oncology, was installed by Chancellor Andrew D. Martin and David H. Perlmutter, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor and the George and Carol Bauer Dean of WashU Medicine. The professorship was funded by St. Louisans Jeffrey and Prue Gershman, who are dedicated philanthropists and volunteers supporting local education, health and arts organizations.
“Jeffrey and Prue are deeply committed to improving the lives of the people of St. Louis, and it is a true honor that they have chosen WashU to be partners in that goal,” Martin said. “Through this professorship, their generosity will accelerate progress against blood cancers by supporting Dr. Vij’s work to bring new, more effective treatments to patients. His leadership has helped grow WashU Medicine’s reputation as a national force in stem cell transplantation and immunotherapy, and with the Gershmans’ support, that momentum will continue.”
Vij treats patients at Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine. As the principal investigator of the Multiple Myeloma Tissue Banking initiative at Siteman, Vij leads a collaborative research team studying the genetic underpinnings and cellular microenvironment of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow. He has led several clinical trials of investigative therapies for blood cancers, including immunotherapy agents and novel stem cell transplant strategies, that went on to become standard treatments. He has authored over 300 scientific publications in the arena of blood cancers.
“Dr. Vij has consistently pushed the field forward, pursuing multiple promising avenues to improve outcomes for patients with blood cancers, particularly multiple myeloma,” Perlmutter said. “His work spans discovery science, clinical trials and national collaboration — advancing new therapies while building the partnerships that move the field as a whole. His ability to translate scientific insight into real-world advances continues to shape the future of care in this field.”
Vij has served on the American Society of Clinical Oncology education and scientific committees and on the myeloma committees of the Clinical Trials Network and Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. He currently serves as senior editor of the journal Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma and Leukemia and is a past chair of the American Society of Hematology scientific committee on plasma cell dyscrasias, a type of cell disorder linked to blood cancers. Vij has received the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Innovator Award, the Center of Excellence Award and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Visionary of the Year Award.
A respected and effective educator, Vij has mentored 25 early-career researchers over his career and in 2007 received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program at WashU Medicine.
“Dr. Vij is an expert in myeloma whose warmth and support give his patients confidence that they are in the best possible hands and getting the best treatment,” said Victoria J. Fraser, MD, the Adolphus Busch Professor of Medicine and head of the Department of Medicine. “He is widely recognized as a leader in the field for his research, his thoughtfulness as a physician and his creativity as a clinical investigator and mentor. The tremendous energy he brings to resources such as the Multiple Myeloma Tissue Banking initiative will benefit the field for years and decades to come.”
Vij completed his medical education at Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi, India, followed by postgraduate training at Halifax General Hospital and Royal Infirmary in the U.K. He completed an internal medicine residency at Rush University in Chicago and fellowships in medical oncology and hematology and in bone marrow transplantation at WashU Medicine. He joined the WashU Medicine faculty in 2000.
Jeffrey S. and Prue H. Gershman
Jeffrey S. and Prue H. Gershman, of Clayton, Mo., have supported numerous programs and organizations in and beyond St. Louis through philanthropy and through volunteer service for the arts, education, healthcare and community organizations.
Jeffrey is an attorney who has practiced business, real estate and tax law in the St. Louis area since 1981. He is active in the St. Louis business community as a director on the boards of Central Bank of St. Louis and Gershman Investment Corp. Prue has worked for 40 years as an educator and social worker at several institutions, most recently as the director of counseling and wellness at John Burroughs School in Ladue.
