Jonathan J. Lewis is an American surgeon, biomedical researcher and entrepreneur. He was trained in surgery in South Africa, Britain, and the United States, and is a fellow of both the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...

and the

American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is a professional medical association for surgeons and surgical team members, founded in 1913. It claims more than 90,000 members in 144 countries. History The ACS was founded in 1913 as an outgrowth of ...

. Dr. Lewis was awarded an MB.B.Ch. from

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

School of Medicine, and his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Witwatersrand and

Yale School of Medicine The Yale School of Medicine is the medical school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College and formally opened in 1813. It is the sixth-oldest m ...

. He completed his Surgical Residency at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and at

Yale-New Haven Hospital Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) is a 1,541-bed hospital located in New Haven, Connecticut. It is the second-largest hospital in the United States and one of the List of hospitals by capacity, largest in the world. It is the primary teaching hospi ...

. Lewis was a Professor of Surgery and Medicine

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a oncology, cancer treatment and research institution in Manhattan in New York City. MSKCC is one of 72 National Cancer Institute–NCI-designated Cancer Center, designated Comprehen ...

, before working in the

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

and healthcare industries, serving in several CEO and Chairman roles. He is currently chairman and co-founder of the Molecular Ninja Group and chairman and co-founder o
Dugri Inc

Education

Lewis received his MB. B.Ch. from

in 1982 and his Ph.D. degree in the Molecular and Cell Biology of Growth Factor Signal Transduction from the

University of Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The university has its roots in ...

and

in 1990. He was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1987. At Yale he trained with Elton Cahow and William Collins, and at

he trained with Sir Murray Brennan. At Sloan-Kettering, he completed postdoctoral research in the immunology lab of Alan Houghton.

Research and scientific contribution

Lewis’ research has contributed to the development of innovative cancer treatments and treatment approaches. Lewis' work focused on better understanding the biology and treatment of difficult-to-treat cancers. This includes the early use of peptides and DNA vaccines with active immunotherapy using T cells, a better understanding of the biology and role of surgery in retroperitoneal sarcoma, the liberal and correct use of re-resection in extremity sarcoma, and the potential use of vaccines in

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

. Lewis has authored over 200 scientific publications, which include work in the biology and treatment of

sarcoma A sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that arises from cells of mesenchymal origin. Originating from mesenchymal cells means that sarcomas are cancers of connective tissues such as bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, or vascular tissues. Sarcom ...

, the biology and treatment of

, molecular

cancer vaccines A cancer vaccine, or oncovaccine, is a vaccine that either treats existing cancer or prevents development of cancer. Vaccines that treat existing cancer are known as ''therapeutic'' cancer vaccines or tumor antigen vaccines. Some of the vaccines ...

gene therapy Gene therapy is Health technology, medical technology that aims to produce a therapeutic effect through the manipulation of gene expression or through altering the biological properties of living cells. The first attempt at modifying human DNA ...

and the translation of laboratory findings to the clinic, in addition to writing chapters or sections in 15 textbooks. Lewis has worked with Yotam Dagan, Sir Murray Brennan and others to help hone the development of next-generation technology platforms for scale in the management of operational stress management and PTSD. During his career as a physician, Lewis cared for

Kitch Christie George Moir Christie, better known as Kitch Christie (31 January 1940 – 22 April 1998), was a South African rugby union coach best known for coaching the country's national team, the Springboks, to victory at the 1995 Rugby World Cup. He rem ...

, the head coach of the 1995 South Africa national rugby union team, Chief Justice Ismail Mahomed, and

Kate McGarrigle Kate McGarrigle (February 6, 1946 – January 18, 2010)Obituary at CBC ...

. He has served on multiple boards of non-profits, including as chairman of the board of trustees and Scientific Advisory Council of the Hope Funds for Cancer Research and as an Honorary Member of the Board of Directors of the Sarcoma Foundation of America.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Jonathan 1959 births Living people Yale School of Medicine alumni Yale School of Medicine faculty American surgeons People from Fairfield County, Connecticut People from Johannesburg Businesspeople from New Haven, Connecticut Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England