01/19/2010

Gregory Yanik, M.D.

Dr. Gregory Yanik is the Leland and Elaine Blatt Family Professor of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and Communicable Disease at the University of Michigan Medical School and the U of M Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Greg and our last MSHO President, Paul Adams, have lead very parallel lives. Greg received his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Detroit in 1979, 1 year ahead of Paul Adams. He received his M.D. from Wayne State University of Medical School in 1983, again 1 year ahead of Paul Adams. His residency training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics was completed at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. A year of general internal medicine/pediatrics followed at the Somerset Medical Center in Troy. Dr. Yanik then completed a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellowship at Children's Medical Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1992, Greg took a position at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Yanik's teaching responsibilities include direct supervision of 4th year medical students, interns/resident house staff and fellows. He is the Director of the Pediatric Core of U of M's General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) and the Chair of the Pediatric Clinical Research Committee. His research interests include the biology and novel treatment strategies for pulmonary injury following allogeneic stem cell transplant and reduced intensity transplant for older patients with AML. Dr. Yanik is currently Principal Investigator on three national clinical trials for neuroblastoma or bone marrow transplant. He is currently a Co-Investigator for an NIH/NCI grant on the Biology and Therapy of High Risk Neuroblastoma. The major goal of this project is to identify novel agents for the treatment of refractory neuroblastoma.

Greg is on the editorial board of Journal of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Journal of Hematology, Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Pediatric Blood & Cancer and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. He is a member of the Children's Oncology Group Neuroblastoma Strategy Committee and their Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Committee. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Michigan Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and is consistently listed in The Best Doctors in America. In spite of his many commitments, Dr. Yanik has also provided his time and expertise to the MSHO Board of Directors since 2004.

Greg has been married to his wife, Mary Beth, for 22 years (of note - Mary Beth graduated from the same High School as Paul Adams). Greg and Mary Beth have three very active children. Megan (age 16) has made All-State in track but this is no surprise to her Dad since she has been out running him for the past 15 years.  Brandon is a senior at U of D Jesuit and will be attending University of Michigan next year. Sean (age 13) is a member of an undefeated CYO basketball team. His children's interest in sports comes naturally. Greg has been actively involved in his community as a basketball and soccer coach for years. His children swear that none of their talent came from him. They probably didn't realize Greg and Paul Adams played on the same basketball team in College and Med School and they were unstoppable!