BIDMC Announces New Cancer Pathology and Cancer Radiology Leaders

Stuart J. Schnitt, MD, Appointed Chief of New Division of Cancer Pathology; Muneeb Ahmed, MD, Named Chief of New Division of Cancer Radiology

BOSTON – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) today announced the appointment of talented physician-researchers who will lead new divisions of cancer pathology and cancer radiology. Stuart J. Schnitt, MD, will join BIDMC in November as Chief of a new Division of Cancer Pathology at BIDMC and will also serve as Chief of Oncologic Pathology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Muneeb Ahmed, MD, has been named Chief of a new Division of Cancer Radiology at BIDMC and will also serve as Chair of the Department of Imaging at Dana-Farber.

Dr. Schnitt and Dr. Ahmed will play important roles in the comprehensive collaboration among Dana-Farber, BIDMC, and Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at BIDMC, which will bring together world-class clinicians to deliver transformational, precision medicine in an environment solely dedicated to defying cancer. Respectively, Dr. Schnitt and Dr. Ahmed will be responsible for developing and driving the vision, mission, and goals of the cancer pathology and cancer radiology programs.

“Dr. Schnitt and Dr. Ahmed are accomplished leaders, clinicians and researchers, and we are excited that they will serve in these new roles,” said Pete Healy, President of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Divisional President, Metro Boston, Beth Israel Lahey Health. “As we continue to bring our cancer collaboration with Dana-Farber to life, they will help shape the future of cancer pathology and cancer radiology at BIDMC and across our region.”

“We could not be more enthusiastic about the momentum we are building as we continue to grow our cancer care team at BIDMC,” said Alexa B. Kimball, MD, MPH, President & CEO of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at BIDMC. “Dr. Schnitt and Dr. Ahmed are world-class clinicians and researchers who will be instrumental to advancing our commitment to delivering transformational, precision medicine in an environment dedicated to defeating cancer.”

“Dr. Schnitt is an internationally respected expert in breast pathology and an accomplished clinician,” said Michael H. Roehrl, MD, PhD, Chair, Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “Under his leadership, our new Division of Cancer Pathology will partner with colleagues across BIDMC and Dana-Farber to deliver exceptional, patient-centered cancer clinical care, and we are thrilled to welcome him to our team.”

“Dr. Ahmed brings a wealth of experience to his new role as head of our new Division of Cancer Radiology,” said Jonathan Kruskal, MD, PhD, Chair, Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “He is a renowned and technically superb interventional radiologist who has been instrumental in building BIDMC’s world-class interventional radiology program. I am excited to work with him as we continue to grow our program and partner with Dana-Farber in the years to come.”

About Stuart J. Schnitt, MD

Dr. Schnitt is an internationally recognized expert in breast pathology and an accomplished clinician, researcher and teacher. He currently serves as Chief of Breast Oncologic Pathology for the Dana-Farber/Brigham Cancer Center and Chief of the Breast Pathology Service at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is also Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Schnitt is the author of more than 400 original articles, review articles, editorials, commentaries, and book chapters, primarily in the area of breast diseases. He has also authored a popular breast pathology textbook entitled Biopsy Interpretation of the Breast, now its 4th edition, and is also an editor of the 4th, 5th, and 6th editions of the World Health Organization Classification of Tumours of the Breast.

He is the past president of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP). He gave the Maude Abbot Lecture at the USCAP Annual Meeting in 2016 and is the recipient of the Academy’s F.K. Mostofi Distinguished Service Award (2018) and Harvey Goldman Teaching Award (2019). Dr. Schnitt’s other notable honors include the Arthur Purdy Stout Society of Surgical Pathologists Annual Prize (1999); the Albany Medical College’s Distinguished Alumnus Award (2014); Lynn Sage Distinguished Lecturer (2014); the International Society of Breast Pathology-Breast Cancer Research Foundation Larry Norton, MD Award (2019); and the Brigham Health Distinguished Clinician Award (2020). He is proud to have been involved in the training of 50 breast pathology fellows since 1995.

Dr. Schnitt earned his undergraduate degree in biology summa cum laude from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and his medical degree from Albany Medical College. He completed his residency and surgical pathology fellowship training at what was then called Beth Israel Hospital (now BIDMC), after which he spent 33 years on the faculty, including 11 years as Director/Vice Chair of Anatomic Pathology. Dr. Schnitt is board-certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology.

About Muneeb Ahmed, MD

Dr. Ahmed is an accomplished clinician, researcher and educator with internationally recognized expertise in interventional radiology treatments for cancer, including image-guided tumor ablation and embolization. Since 2014, he has served as Chief of the Division of Interventional Radiology and Vice Chair of Radiology at BIDMC. He is also the Miriam H. Stoneman Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Ahmed is immediate past president of the Society of Interventional Oncology and a former member of the Board of Directors of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at BIDMC. His clinical and research interests focus on tumor ablation-related biology; clinical interventional oncology outcomes in liver cancers; portal hypertension; and transplant interventions. He is the author of more than 180 original research papers, societal standards, chapters and invited reviews, and has received more than $8 million in grant funding as a principal investigator, including from the NIH and numerous society- and industry-funded grants. He is the recipient of multiple national and international awards, including the Society of Interventional Radiology’s prestigious Gary J. Becker Young Investigator Award, and the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology’s Editor’s Award for Distinguished Research Study four separate times. Based on his expertise, he has lectured widely at national and international conferences within the field of interventional oncology.

Dr. Ahmed earned his medical degree from Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, and holds a Master of Science degree from Harvard Medical School. He joined BIDMC in 2000 as a Cancer Radiology Research Fellow and completed his residency training at the medical center, including serving as chief resident. He then completed his fellowship in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine before returning to BIDMC as member of the faculty within Interventional Radiology. Dr. Ahmed is board-certified in Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology.