Draft:Charles J. Ryan

Charles J. Ryan (born November 7, 1969) is an American physician-scientist, medical oncologist, and prostate cancer researcher. In August 2021, Ryan was announced as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. In April 2018, Ryan was announced as Director of the Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation Division in the Department of Medicine at University of Minnesota and as Associate Director for Clinical Research and the B.J. Kennedy Chair in Clinical Medical Oncology in the institution’s Masonic Cancer Center, where he conducts research and sees patients through a clinical practice.

Ryan, while working at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), was the principal cancer research investigator for the development of abiraterone acetate, sold under the brand name Zytiga among others, as treatment for men diagnosed with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) without prior chemotherapy. The treatment is now considered standard of care therapy in multiple forms of advanced prostate cancer that has been administered to hundreds of thousands of prostate cancer patients worldwide.

Ryan has published more than 250 articles and chapters in medical journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine , Journal of Clinical Oncology , and Cancer. He has also contributed chapters to several textbooks on prostate cancer and is the author of the book The Virility Paradox: The Vast Influence of Testosterone on Our Bodies, Minds, and the World We Live In released in February 2018 by Benbella Publishing.

Ryan also served as Co-Chair of the National Cancer Institute’s Prostate Cancer Task Force and as Leader of Advanced Prostate Cancer Care for the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology.

Early life and education
Ryan was born and raised in Appleton, WI, the youngest of four children. Ryan’s father treated patients with many cancer types as a general oncologist in Appleton. Ryan’s mother worked as an RN (registered nurse) at the local hospice in Appleton treating terminal cancer patients.

Ryan attended Appleton West High School. After high school, Ryan went on to earn a BA degree in History of Philosophy, magna cum laude, in 1991 from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI where he was also a member of the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa. After his undergraduate studies, Ryan attended the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health where he earned his MD degree in 1996.

Ryan trained at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics with a Residency in Internal Medicine until 1999, ultimately serving as Chief Resident in his final year in 2000, followed by a fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Hematology and Medical Oncology from 2000 to 2003 in the institution’s Genitourinary Oncology Department.

University of California, San Francisco
In 2003, Ryan began treating genitourinary cancer patients as a Staff Physician in Oncology at UCSF Medical Center and was named Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco in the Division of Hematology/Oncology.

In 2008, Ryan was named Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine. In 2010, Ryan was named Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine and Urology. In 2013, Ryan was named Professor of Clinical Medicine and Urology. In 2014, Ryan was announced as the Thomas Perkins Distinguished Professor in Cancer Research.

Ryan, while working at UCSF, was the principal cancer research investigator for the development of abiraterone acetate as treatment for men diagnosed with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) without prior chemotherapy. Ryan led the North American Phase I clinical trial as well as the Phase II and Phase III  studies that culminated in abiraterone acetate’s approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration on 28 April 2011 for mCRPC.

Ryan was also the co-founder of the Supportive Therapy in Androgen Deprivation (STAND) program at UCSF, a program which seeks to integrate physical activity, nutrition, and emotional support for men receiving hormonal therapy for prostate cancer and their partners.

University of Minnesota
In 2018, University of Minnesota Medical School announced Ryan as the new Director of the Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation Division in the Department of Medicine where he was also named Professor of Medicine. He was also announced as Associate Director for Clinical Research in the Masonic Cancer Center and the B.J. Kennedy Chair in Clinical Medical Oncology. Ryan began treating genitourinary cancer patients as a Staff Physician in Oncology at the University of Minnesota Medical Center.

Prostate Cancer Foundation
When Ryan joined the Prostate Cancer Foundation in 2021, he launched the TACTICAL (Therapy ACceleration To Intercept CAncer Lethality) initiative to support large-scale, multi-institutional team research projects addressing metastatic lethal prostate cancer, the most life-threatening form of prostate cancer. The first four teams of researchers were announced in 2022, with up to $10 million in total funding for each team over a three-year period.

Ryan also spearheaded the acquisition by PCF of Digital Science Press, Inc., (DSP).

Other leadership and board positions
Ryan is a member of the medical advisory board of ZERO Prostate Cancer, a national nonprofit with the mission to end prostate cancer and help all who are impacted.

Honors
In 2011 Ryan received both the Fellowship Program Mentor Award from the Division of Hematology/Oncology at UCSF and the Hematology/Oncology Mentor Award from the Department of Medicine at UCSF.

Ryan also received the Commitment to Patient Care Award from the UCSF Symptom Management Service in 2008. In October 2016, Ryan was inducted into Appleton West High School’s alumni Hall of Fame.

Personal life
Ryan is married to Jessica Leahy and has three children: two daughters, Catherine and Elise, and a son, Patrick. Ryan’s blood type is B-positive, a fact he brings up frequently in public forums as a demonstration of his view of the need of medical oncologists to remain upbeat in the face of lethal disease. Ryan also speaks Spanish.