Remembering Jack Erban

Posted on 04. Oct, 2020 by in News

It is with tremendous sadness that we offer our deepest sympathy to the family, friends, and colleagues of Dr. Jack Erban, a long-time friend, consul, advisor, and board member of IBC-NE Region.

It is difficult to capture the loss in words.

For his patients and friends in the cancer community, it is a huge loss of a brilliant oncologist who took compassion and commitment to the highest levels. In the inflammatory breast cancer community, we lost a leading researcher and supporter of efforts to build awareness and learn more about this rare disease.

After completing a fellowship Tufts Medical Center’s Division of Hematology/Oncology Jack joined the professional staff and was appointed to the faculty at Tufts Medical School. He served in many roles at Tufts, including as Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology, and Co-Director of the Breast Cancer program.  He spent three years at Massachusetts General Hospital as Director of Clinical Programs for the Breast Oncology Center. He was an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He returned to Tufts in 2011 as the Clinical Director and Associate Director for Clinical Science of the Tufts Medical Center Cancer Center.  He was the long-time volunteer medical editor for the TUSM alumni publication, Tufts Medicine.

Jack’s professional contributions and accomplishments are expansive.

Among the many research projects and initiatives that he was involved in, he was instrumental in advancing the efforts of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Initiative (2002) and published a meta-analysis on this most misunderstood form of breast cancer. He served as a mentor, advisor, and editor for our group was we work to provide educational material and programs for IBC patients,  their families, and providers.

Jack was an extraordinary doctor and passionate scientist.

Jack’s spirit and legacy, I believe, will continue through the work of his colleagues, friends, students, and through the lives of thousands of cancer survivors that received the most compassionate and best care that he could provide on their journey.

For those wishing to honor Jack, contributions may be made to Silent Spring Institute or the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care.