H. Richard Alexander, Jr., MD
Dr. H. Richard Alexander, Jr. is the team leader for peritoneal mesothelioma at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. A surgical oncologist, cancer researcher, and surgical educator, his roles include Chief Surgical Officer and Chief of Surgical Oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute, System Director of Surgical Oncology for RWJBarnabas Health, and Regional Director of Surgery for Monmouth Medical Center, an RWJBH facility.[1]
Dr. Alexander collaborates with colleagues in the Gastrointestinal/Hepatobiliary Oncology Program to advance the treatment and clinical research of these rare cancers. He has focused both his clinical and research efforts towards the application of surgical resection for patients with these diseases: He is an expert in the use of CRS-HIPEC, a complex procedure that combines surgical removal of tumors with the administration of heated chemotherapy to the surgical site to bathe any tumor cells left behind in the cancer-killing solution.
Education and Career
Dr. Alexander earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Colorado and then graduated with a medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. His Surgical internship and residency were completed through the National Capital Consortium, placing him as a medical officer in the U.S. Navy aboard both the USS Mt. Whitney and the USS Midway. He completed a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, followed by assuming the role of Deputy Director in the Center for Cancer Research of the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute.[1]
Dr. Alexander served as Associate Chair for Clinical Research in the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is the Former Head of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. He is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of that organization.
Research
Dr. Alexander is actively involved in research advancing the use of surgical resection in abdominal and gastrointestinal malignancies to improve treatment and patient outcomes. He has authored numerous articles and book chapters and is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences.
His publications include:
“Does Hospital Operative Volume Influence the Outcomes of Patients After Heated Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Peritoneal Carcinomatosis?” Praveen D Chatani, Alexander Manzella, Yelizaveta Y Gribkova, Brett L Ecker, Toni Beninato, Timothy Kennedy, Henry A Pitt, Henry Richard Alexander>; Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2023 Oct 31
“Treatment of Patients with Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma.” Claire Y Li, Timothy Kennedy, Henry Richard Alexander>; Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2022 Mar 29
“Regional therapy trials in peritoneal metastases: The path to standardization of care: Introduction.” Jason M. Foster, H. Richard Alexander, Chunmeng Zhang>; Journal of Surgical Oncology. 2021 Nov 11
