Dr. Meyers Transitions to Emeritus Professor

Dr. Fred Meyers and Linda MeyersFrom Left: Linda Meyers and Dr. Fred Meyers

After 47 years of service to UC Davis and UC Davis Health, Dr. Frederick J. Meyers, Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine/Hematology-Oncology, will be retiring on June 30, 2023. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Meyers! Dr. Meyers will be taking some personal time off in July, then be recalled to a new role as a Distinguished Emeritus Professor in August. He will retain his appointment at the Center for Precision Medicine and Data Sciences as co-director with Dr. Colleen Clancy, direct the ARC-MD medical school pathway, and serve as Associate Director for Education, Training and Career Development of the Cancer Center.

“I am profoundly grateful to the thousands of faculty, staff, students, and patients who have supported me, collaborated with me, and who together, we have made UC Davis Health not only successful, but have improved the health and health care of our patients and communities.” – Frederick Meyers, MD, MACP

Dr. Fred Meyers began his career at UC Davis, where he completed residency training in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Hematology and Oncology. He has had a long-standing interest in cancer biology, clinical trials, and palliative care with a focus on advanced and metastatic malignancies. In the 1980s, he founded one of the first Palliative Care centers in the country and was a leader in the research that established simultaneous care as the standard of care for advanced illnesses. He was part of the leadership team that achieved the National Cancer Institute designation of a Comprehensive Cancer Center for UC Davis Health. His service to the University has included 7 years as chief of the division of hematology/oncology, 12 years as Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, followed by 7 years as Vice Dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine. 

Despite his significant administrative responsibilities, he developed a deep interest in the career development of our junior colleagues, M.D. and Ph.D. pre-doctoral and post-doctoral. He is nationally known for leading innovative research career development training programs. His appointment as Associate Director for Education, Training and Career Development at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center extends cancer research career development from high school to early faculty career development and to the community.

In 2018 he founded the UC Davis School of Medicine Academic Research Careers for Medical Doctors (ARC-MD) program. The goal of this program is to develop the careers of the next generations of diverse, team science, community-oriented physician scientists. ARC-MD provides medical students with mentorship and the foundational skills and professional development experiences that promote a successful career as a physician scientist.

As of 2016, with the advent of the United States Precision Medicine Initiative, Dr. Meyers was asked to lead and integrate precision medicine across all of the colleges and schools at UC Davis and the communities it serves. He has developed a network among the UCs, the state, and other partners, making the UC Davis Center for Precision Medicine and Data Sciences a leader in precision medicine. Finding precise, targeted, and individualized treatments for cancer and other illnesses and improving population health, is his enduring passion.

Dr. Meyers has been an active member of the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS), a national organization. In 2019- 2020, he served as the ACTS president, leading an initiative to bring precision medicine to the forefront of the organization. In 2020 – 2021 he was appointed President of The Center for AIDS Research Education and Services (CARES) Foundation in Sacramento, CA. He also serves on the board of City Year Sacramento. 

Most of all, he is dedicated to his loving and supportive family, especially Linda, Travis, Ashely, and one year old Margo, who are likely to see much more of him despite his recall plans. During his free time, you can find Dr. Meyers enjoying a San Francisco Giants game or traveling the globe, whether near or far always appreciating the outdoors as he is an avid hiker.

Please join us in congratulating and celebrating Dr. Meyers! 

Resources

National Precision Medicine Initiative

The National Precision Medicine Initiative was proposed by President Obama in his State of the Union address on January 30, 2015. It includes a description of the initiative, information about the privacy principles being developed, patient stories and a link to a fact sheet about the initiative. (View Fact Sheet)

California Launches Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine (CIAPM)

UC Davis is a partner with the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine (CIAPM) which was launched in 2015. CIAPM is a partnership between the state, the University of California and other public and private entities focused on supporting health innovations, science and technology.

With our team-based approach to health, we are increasingly capable of providing highly specialized care to patients and solving pressing problems in public health. 

This article describes the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine and includes a timeline of milestones along the pathway to precision medicine.

Further learning

Sue Desmond-Hellmann TedxTalk on the importance of Precision Medicine 

Eric Topol – Deep Medicine

UCSF Precision Medicine

Framingham Heart Study, the first Precision Medicine study started 70 years ago.

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