Prof Ron Firestein

Professor Ron Firestein is the Head of the Centre for Cancer Research at Hudson Institute of Medical Research. He leads the Cancer Genetics and Functional Genomics research group, and is Head of the Next Generation Precision Medicine program. He also holds the role of Deputy Director of Hudson Institute.

Prof Firestein is a physician scientist double board certified in Pathology (Anatomic and Molecular Genetics) and his research focuses on identifying new targets and developing therapies for solid tumour malignancies.

Prof Firestein earned his BA in biology from the University of Pennsylvania and his MD/PhD from Stanford University as part of the Medical Scientist Training Program. He completed a residency in anatomic pathology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and fellowships in molecular pathology and cancer genetics at Harvard Medical School and the Broad Institute.

Prior to joining the Hudson Institute in August 2015 as head of the Centre for Cancer Research, Prof Firestein led a basic research lab at Genentech Inc., where he focused on developing integrative genomic technologies to identify new therapeutic targets in solid tumour malignancies. His scientific work has resulted in peer-reviewed high-impact publications, including Nature, Cancer Cell, Cell, and Journal of Clinical Investigation, as well as 10 patents.