Medical College of Wisconsin Names Nationally Recognized Surgeon-Scientist Genevieve Boland, MD, PhD, Next Chair of Surgery

Milwaukee, Sept. 8, 2026 – The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has appointed Genevieve Boland, MD, PhD, as its next Chair of the Department of Surgery. In this key leadership position, Dr. Boland will oversee one of MCW's largest academic departments and lead efforts to advance excellence and a culture of collaboration across each of the institution’s missions, with a focus on developing future surgeon-scientists; driving translational discoveries; and providing high-quality, accessible, patient-centered care.

A nationally recognized surgical oncologist, cancer researcher, and academic leader, Dr. Boland’s career has concentrated on advancing cancer treatment through translational (“bench to bedside”) research and multidisciplinary care. Her clinical and scientific expertise center on melanoma, immunotherapy, tumor-immune interactions and innovative approaches to cancer treatment like cellular therapy.

“Dr. Boland is an exceptional surgeon-scientist and strategic leader with a successful track record of building multidisciplinary clinical programs, supporting faculty and trainee development, and integrating scientific discovery with patient care,” said Shekar N. Kurpad, MD, PhD, MCW’s president and chief executive officer and the Dr. Bill and Marlene Listwan Leadership Chair for Caring and Character in Medicine. “It’s this combination of an unwavering commitment to excellence and deep experience across clinical care, education, and research that makes Dr. Boland uniquely qualified to lead our Department of Surgery into its next chapter. We’re excited to welcome her to the Medical College of Wisconsin.”

Dr. Boland most recently served as an Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, and Vice Chair of Research for the Integrated Department of Surgery at Mass General Brigham (MGB) and Program Director of Cutaneous Surgical Oncology at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute. At Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), she served as Section Head of Melanoma/Sarcoma Surgery, Surgical Director of the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies, Director of the Surgical Oncology Research Laboratories, Director of the Therapeutic Intralesional Program, and Associate Director of the Department of Surgery Mentoring Program.

Throughout her years of leadership, Dr. Boland has overseen the creation of transparent systems for resource allocation and accountability, cross-hospital faculty development programs, and improved partnerships with hospital administration and industry collaborators. Under her leadership at MGH and MGB, she managed a research portfolio exceeding $116 million annually and led strategic planning efforts across multiple academic medical centers and affiliated hospitals. During her tenure as Vice Chair of Research, annual research expenditures increased 40%, the highest in the department’s history.

Dr. Boland is also an accomplished researcher whose leadership and innovation have garnered her widespread acclaim. In the Boland Lab, she studies tissue- and blood-based methods to better understand how cancers respond to treatment and how new therapies can be developed for patients. Her research program is supported with more than $5 million in active funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DoD), the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), and philanthropic organizations. Specifically, she has led multi-institutional immuno-oncology correlative studies in melanoma and GI cancers, served as PI on a DoD Rare Melanoma Focused Program Award, and co-led an ARPA-H AURORA project with MIT on predictive modeling of therapeutic response.

She has authored or co-authored more than 115 peer-reviewed publications, with findings published in leading journals, including Nature, Nature Medicine, Cancer Discovery, Cell, Science Advances, and Science Translational Medicine.

In addition to her research accomplishments, Dr. Boland is recognized nationally for her leadership within the surgical and cancer research communities. She currently chairs the Scientific Program Committee of the Society of Surgical Oncology and serves as Associate Editor for Basic and Translational Cancer Immunology for the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, as well as holds leadership and advisory roles with numerous national organizations focused on cancer research, surgery, and immunotherapy.

Throughout her career, Dr. Boland has been deeply committed to education, mentorship, and the development of the next generation of surgeon-scientists, having mentored medical students, surgical residents, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, MD-PhD students, and junior faculty. She has also developed programs to strengthen career development, research success, and leadership growth.

Dr. Boland earned her combined MD and PhD degrees from Thomas Jefferson University, where she graduated cum laude and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Her doctoral research was conducted at the National Institutes of Health. She completed her general surgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by a complex general surgical oncology fellowship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and T32 research fellowship training in genomic medicine at MD Anderson.

Dr. Boland’s term began on September 1, 2026, and she succeeds Douglas B. Evans, MD, the Donald C. Ausman Family Foundation Professor of Surgery, who announced his plans to step down as chair in 2025.