Early Career and Faculty Positions at UCLA
Dr. Berek began his academic career as an Instructor at Harvard Medical School from 1975 to 1979. After a fellowship at UCLA (1979-1981),he joined the faculty of the UCLA School of Medicine—now the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA—where he was appointed Assistant Professor in 1981,Associate Professor with tenure in 1984,and Professor in 1989. [1]
Serving as the Director of the UCLA Division of Gynecologic Oncology from 1986-2005,he was an active oncologic physician and surgeon,with a principal focus on the development of immunotherapy and novel treatments for ovarian cancer. From 1988 to 2005,he served as the Vice Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UCLA School of Medicine.
In 2004,he received the Sherman Mellinkoff Faculty Award—the highest distinction that the UCLA School of Medicine grants to its faculty. [1]
In addition to his administrative and clinical roles,he maintained a research laboratory conducting basic scientific research in immunology. His early discoveries included the elucidation of the role of intraperitoneal immune cells and their mechanisms of activation,including cytokines and their receptors via paracrine growth loop. He pioneered the development of regional,intraperitoneal (IP) immunotherapy using cytokines,which serves as the basis for current IP immunotherapies in ovarian cancer,including cell-based therapies. His current research focuses on clinical trials of immune and novel agents for cancer treatment and genetics. [1]
Dr. Berek’s other noteworthy research contributions included the development and refinement of surgical operations for ovarian and vulvar cancer. His other roles at UCLA included Chair of the UCLA College of Applied Anatomy and Chief of Staff of the UCLA Medical Center (1994-1996).
During this time,Dr. Berek also became a leader in a number of local and regional organizations in the field,including the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG),where he served as the Principal Investigator from 1986 to 2005. He received the President’s Award from the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) in 1987 and served as the President of the Western Association of Gynecologic Oncology (WAGO) from 1991 to 1992. Later in his tenure at UCLA,in 2004,Dr. Berek was also Group Chair for the Cooperative Group for Immunotherapy of Ovarian Cancer,a position he held until 2011. Dr. Berek is the current Group Chair of the Cooperative Gynecologic Oncology Investigators (COGI). [4] He is the recent past Chair of the Women’s Cancer Committee of the International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FIGO),and he contributed to the FIGO staging systems for ovarian,fallopian tube,peritoneal,cervical,uterine,and vulvar cancers. Dr. Berek received numerous grants to support his laboratory and clinical research. [1]
Faculty Positions at Stanford and Obstetrics &Gynecology Leadership Roles
In 2005,Dr. Berek transitioned to the Stanford University School of Medicine as the Laurie Kraus Lacob Professor and served a twelve-year tenure as Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology until 2017. During this time,Dr. Berek took on national and international leadership positions as well. From 2008 to 2010,Dr. Berek was the President of the International Society of Gynecologic Cancer (IGSC),and from 2011 to 2013,he became the President of the Council of University Chairs of Obstetrics &Gynecology (CUCOG).
Today,Dr. Berek is the Founding Director of the Stanford Women’s Cancer Center,a part of the Stanford Cancer Institute,and a member of the Executive Committee of the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) (2017). [1] [4] [5]
Health Communication
Dr. Berek founded the Stanford Health Communication Initiative in 2017 and serves as its Executive Director. [6] [7] He is also the Faculty Director of Health Communication in the Stanford Center for Health Education. [1]
Research Symposium
On Friday,September 12th,2025,the Stanford Cancer Institute and the Stanford Center for Continuing Medical Education held a research symposium on gynecologic oncology in honor of Dr. Jonathan Berek. [8] [9] The event served as an update on the latest scientific advances in obstetrics and gynecologic oncology,gathering physicians and scientists from all around the world to present emerging research and advances,focusing most specifically on gynecologic and breast cancer. Topics discussed at the symposium included genetic testing,immunotherapy,organoid modeling,computational biology,and novel clinical trial data. One of the featured guest speakers was Nobel Laureate Carolyn Bertozzi. [8] [9]
