Charles M. Balch

Dr. Charles M. Balch has led a distinguished career as a healthcare executive, as well as a clinical and academic surgical oncologist for the past 44 years. He is a leading authority in both melanoma and breast cancer and has authored of over 800 publications which have been cited over 28,000 times in the biomedical literature (h factor 74). Dr. Balch has lectured in over 42 different countries in the world and most of the major academic centers in the United States. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Annals of Surgical Oncology which is recognized as the leading journal in the world in its field. Dr. Balch is also the Editor-in-Chief for Patient Resource Cancer Guides, which distribute over 1.3 million cancer guides (with 21 different titles) to cancer patients each year.

Dr. Balch held major executive leadership roles involving clinical research in three comprehensive cancer centers (UAB, MD Anderson and City of Hope) prior to coming to Johns Hopkins from 2000 to 2010. He also had leadership roles involving clinical research in cancer cooperative groups, NIH study sections, and in professional organizations.

Dr. Balch’s has also served in leadership roles for the Society of Surgical Oncology as President in 1992 where he currently serves as Editor-in-Chief for the society’s peer-reviewed journal, the Annals of Surgical Oncology, the American Board of Surgery (Board of Directors), the Association of Academic Surgeons (President), the Commission on Cancer (Chair, Board of Directors) and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (Executive Committee). He was the EVP and CEO of the American Society of Clinical Oncology from 200-2006, and on the fulltime faculty at Johns Hopkins as Professor of Surgery, Oncology and Dermatology until 2011 when he joined the surgical oncology faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He has rejoined the faculty of UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston leading mentoring and career development for the surgical faculty and trainees.