Newswise — Edward J. Benz Jr., MD, joins the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) Nursing Advisory Board bringing extensive experience and perspective as a leader in academia, internal medicine, mentorship, and research. He is the Richard and Susan Smith Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics and Genetics at Harvard Medical School, President and CEO Emeritus for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Director Emeritus of the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.

“Dr. Benz has tremendous knowledge and experience and has carved a phenomenal career that will provide valuable insight to our work in advocating for the interests of the school and the nursing profession,” says JHSON Dean Patricia Davidson, PhD, MEd, RN, FAAN.

Board certified in hematology and internal medicine, Benz remains clinically active and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. During his time as president and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Benz strengthened the hospitals’ reputation, revenue, workforce, and annual giving and grew its international recognition for top-flight patient care and cutting-edge cancer research.

As an active investigator, Benz has received funding from the National Institutes of Health. His laboratory studies the molecular physiology and pathology of normal red cell development and inherited hemolytic anemias, and the role of regulated RNA metabolism in governing the expression of cytoskeletal proteins in diverse tissues.

He has also served as chief of the Division of Hematology at Yale. 1997-1993, and from 1995-2000, as Director of the department of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Other positions at Johns Hopkins have included Sir William Osler Professor of Medicine and physician in chief at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He has served as president of the American Society of Hematology, the Association of American Cancer Institutes, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the American Clinical and Climatological Association, and the Friends of the National Institutes of Nursing Research.

Benz remains committed to mentorship of emerging professionals who seek to grow in leadership ranks within medicine. He received the 2007 Mentor Award from the American Society of Hematology and the 2011 Margaret L. Kripke Legend Award for Promotion of Women in Cancer Medicine and Cancer Science from the MD Anderson Cancer Center. He was also recognized by the Boston Business Journal as a Health Care Hero for Lifetime Achievement in 2015, and as a Hero in Health Care by the Visiting Nurse Association in Boston.

Benz has written more than 300 articles, books, chapters, reviews, and abstracts and has served as associate editor for the New England Journal of Medicine. He received his Doctor of Medicine from Harvard Medical School, and his bachelor's from Princeton University.

At JHSON, the mission is to improve the health of individuals and diverse communities across the world through leadership and excellence in nursing education, research, practice, and service. The school offers programs ranging from pre-licensure to doctoral options and has a long-standing reputation for shaping graduates who are leaders in the profession.

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Located in Baltimore, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is a globally-recognized leader in nursing education, research and practice. The school ranks No. 1 nationally for its graduate and online programs and No. 2 for DNP programs in the U.S. News & World Report 2019 rankings. In addition, the school is ranked by QS World University as the No. 3 nursing school in the world and is No.1 by College Choice for its master’s program. First opened in 1889, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is celebrating throughout 2019 its 130th anniversary as a school and leader in nursing education and excellence. For more information, visit www.nursing.jhu.edu and www.hopkinsnursing130.org