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Richard Joseph, M.D., Named Doctor of the Year by Melanoma International Foundation
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Richard Joseph, M.D., an oncologist specializing in melanoma at Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus, has been named the 2015 recipient of the “Doctor of the Year Award” presented by the Melanoma International Foundation (MIF). Founded in 2003, MIF is a non-profit organization whose vision is a future where top-notch melanoma treatment is accessible to all patients globally. Now in its tenth year, the annual award not only recognizes a physician involved in clinical research that is on the cutting edge of melanoma treatment, but who also exhibits a caring attitude towards his/her patients.
Dr. Joseph is actively involved in multiple leading edge clinical trials for melanoma – one involving immunotherapy with an experimental drug MK-3475 that has shown promise in “taking the breaks off” the patient’s own immune system, allowing it to more effectively fight the cancer. Dr. Joseph also is the first physician at Mayo Clinic to utilize virus therapy (in this case the Oncolytic Herpes Virus) to treat aggressive melanomas in a clinical trial setting.
“I am honored to receive this recognition from MIF,” said Dr. Joseph. “This award recognizes the excellent care our team provides for our patients on a daily basis. The advanced melanoma research we do at Mayo Clinic couldn’t be done without the support of the research and clinical teams I work with here. This award honors them for their role in the success of those trials that are helping to cure more melanoma patients than ever before.”
According to Catherine Poole, president/founder of the Melanoma International Foundation, “This year we honor Dr. Richard Joseph as our Doctor of the Year recipient because of his melanoma research efforts and firm belief in therapies that enhance the body’s immune system to fight cancer. We are very appreciative of Dr. Joseph’s important work for melanoma patients.”
