Dr. Ettinger is the Alex Grass Professor of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland. He is also a professor of medicine, otolaryngology, head and neck surgery, gynecology and obstetrics, and radiation oncology and molecular radiation sciences.
Dr. Ettinger received his medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He completed his medical internship and residency at the Albany Medical Center and Mayo Clinic, respectively. Dr. Ettinger completed his training in medical oncology at Johns Hopkins in 1975, and since then has been on the faculty of the School of Medicine. He was chairman of the Thoracic Committee of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) from 1980 to 1982. From 1990 to 2010, he was chairman of the Medical Oncology Lung Subcommittee of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG).
Dr. Ettinger is a member of the board of directors of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) as well as a member of the NCCN Guidelines Steering Committee. In addition, he has served as chair of the NCCN non-small cell lung cancer practice guidelines panel, antiemetic practice guidelines panel, and occult primary tumor practice guidelines panel. From 1982 through 1990, he was principal investigator of the phase I studies of new anticancer agents, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Ettinger’s research interests are in new drug development and innovative multidisciplinary treatment strategies in lung cancer and sarcomas. He is also interested in improving supportive care measures associated with cancer and its treatment. Dr. Ettinger has authored or co-authored over 200 articles and serves as an editor for Current Treatment Options in Oncology. He has edited three books: Thoracic Oncology, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001; Current Cancer Therapeutics, 5th Edition, Springer, 2009; and Supportive Care in Cancer Therapy, Humana Press, 2009.
A former president of the Maryland Division of the American Cancer Society, in 1997, Dr. Ettinger received the American Cancer Society’s highest national divisional award, the St. George Medal.
Dr. Ettinger has experience in oncology internationally both through Johns Hopkins international (JHI) and NCCN. He is the associate medical director for Johns Hopkins Singapore since 2000. He was involved in the development of oncology for JHI at the Tawam Hospital in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. In addition, Dr. Ettinger has been to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and India for JHI, assessing oncology programs there. He has presented the NSCLC Guidelines in China, the Middle East and Brazil for the NCCN as well as assessing research opportunities in China.
He is the medical director of the Johns Hopkins Home Care Group and serves on a number of committees both in the Kimmel Cancer Center, including its Promotions Committee, and in the Johns Hopkins Hospital, including the Risk Management Committee and Credentials Committee.