Ruben A. Mesa, MD, FACP

Dr. Ruben Mesa is senior vice president of Advocate Health and the President of the Advocate Health Cancer National Service Line (the unified cancer service line of Atrium Health (NC, SC and GA) , Aurora Health (WI), and Advocate Health (IL) and executive director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center. Additionally, Dr. Mesa serves as the Vice Dean of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine for cancer programs and the Charles L. Spurr, MD, Professor of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Mesa's research focuses on MPN biology, novel therapeutics and over 100 phase I-III clinical trials, symptom assessment tools and non-pharmacological interventions to alleviate MPN symptoms. He has led or co-led the development of 6 drugs that have been FDA approved for MPNs. Dr. Mesa has won many career awards for his research from the Mayo Clinic, from patient and MPN organizations, and was the 2024 Distinguished Alumnus from University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and 2025 Recipient of the Ernest Beutler Prize from the American Society of Hematology for his work on the clinical development of JAK inhibition as therapy for MPN patients.

He is passionate about advancing cancer health equity and increasing minority patients' participation in cancer clinical trials. At the National Cancer Institute Dr. Mesa both sits on CTAC (Clinical Trials Advisory Council) as well as is Cancer Equity Leader (CEL) for the NCI Center for Health Equity.

Dr. Mesa previously was executive director of the NCI-designated Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson and deputy director of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center and was the 2013 Mayo Clinic Investigator of the Year.

Dr. Mesa has over 800 lifetime medical publications, with more than 500 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 15 book chapters and 2 edited books. He is frequently invited to speak on MPNs with over 600 lectures and visiting professorships, nationally and internationally.

Dr. Mesa received his medical degree at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, where he also completed residency and fellowship training in Hematology & medical Oncology.