UPMC Hillman Chair, Dr. Stanley Marks, Receives Prestigious Award

PITTSBURGH – Stanley M. Marks, M.D., chair of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and renowned medical oncologist, will receive the 2026 PNC Elsie Hillman Distinguished Scholar Award for his significant and enduring contributions to cancer care—locally, nationally and globally. 

The award will be presented at the BeSpoke Bash on March 26, 2026. This ticketed event is part of the fourth annual Rush to Crush Cancer, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting innovative cancer research at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. 

“Stan Marks is a true patient advocate who has a passion for the hundreds of thousands of patients he treats,” said Leslie Davis, president and CEO of UPMC. “He also greatly values science and cancer research, seeing firsthand that discoveries in the laboratory lead to improved treatments and better patient outcomes. We are grateful for his exceptional clinical care, leadership and financial support that have advanced cancer research at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.”   

Dr. Marks, also chief medical officer at UPMC Hillman, is credited with creating, in collaboration with leaders at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh, what today is one of the largest integrated cancer networks in the country. His vision to bring state-of-the-art cancer expertise to the patient close to home has resulted in 80 UPMC Hillman Cancer Centers in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Maryland and internationally in Ireland, Italy and Croatia.  

Philanthropist Elsie Hillman and her husband Henry made the lead donation to help build the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Shadyside in 2000 as Dr. Marks was recruited to UPMC, so this year, presenting the award to Dr. Marks holds additional meaning. 

“There wouldn’t be a UPMC Hillman Cancer Center without Dr. Marks,” said Beth Wild, president of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. “Because of the growth and innovation fueled by Dr. Marks and his partners over the past 25 years, the UPMC Hillman network is one of the premier cancer centers in the United States and around the world.”  

The PNC Elsie Hillman award, now in its 15th year, honors the advancements being made in cancer research and treatment, and recognizes those who support these efforts at UPMC Hillman, the region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

“The description of this award is that it be presented to an individual who has contributed the most to UPMC Hillman Cancer Center,” said John Byrd, M.D., director of UPMC Hillman. “Although I have known Stan for a long time as a respected colleague in blood cancers, now as the new UPMC Hillman director, I have come to know him as a humble, compassionate person who cares deeply for his family, his faith and the patients who have a world class cancer center right here because of him.”  

“PNC has been involved in this award for many years because of our strong relationship with the late Elsie and Henry Hillman, as well as Dr. Stan Marks,” said Lou Cestello of PNC Bank. “Dr. Marks has made a significant impact in cancer care and research. I personally believe that history will show he is one of the greatest oncologists of our time.”  

Dr. Marks played a pivotal role in the establishment of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center network, the Mario Lemieux Center for Blood Cancers, and recently the Mario Lemieux Center for Immunotherapy, also at UPMC Hillman. His commitment to patient-centered care and medical education has earned him numerous honors, including the Golden Apple Award for teaching excellence and repeated recognition as a top doctor by Pittsburgh Magazine and national outlets. 

Dr. Marks is also known for his significant philanthropic impact. He is associated with three major research-focused funds: 

• The Dr. Stanley M. Marks Endowed Research Fund (est. 2006) by grateful patients, raising more than $20 million for cancer research at UPMC Hillman. 
  
  

• The Stanley M. Marks–OHA Endowed Chair in Hematology/Oncology Leadership (est. 2016) by UPMC and the partners at Oncology Hematology Associates to support the recruitment and retention of top clinicians and scientists at the University of Pittsburgh. 
  
  

• The Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund (est. 2019) by community leaders and friends of Dr. Marks to advance blood cancer research at UPMC Hillman. 

Each fund directly supports UPMC Hillman’s mission to accelerate discoveries and expand treatment options for patients by providing financial grants for young scientists with novel ideas, to recruit new clinical and physician-scientist oncologists to UPMC Hillman, and for educational programs for high school, college and post graduate students interested in cancer research.  

“I can’t think of anything that’s more important to him than making sure that our patients are getting the best care,” said Mounzer Agha, M.D., UPMC Hillman hematologist, director of the Mario Lemieux Center for Blood Cancers and a long-time partner of Dr. Marks. “He’s the only person I know who will answer a call or a text, any time of day or night and will make sure that the reason you called has been answered. If it’s a patient who needs to be seen, they will be seen the very next day. Stan is the most compassionate person I have ever met. He is family to me.”  

Dr. Marks has held leadership roles in several nonprofit organizations, including the Allegheny County Medical Society and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He co-founded the Cancer Caring Center and Allegheny/Forbes Hospice and helped establish the Western Pennsylvania chapter of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) following his son’s diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes.

He serves as board chair for several biotech startups and has received numerous humanitarian and research awards. Dr. Marks earned his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh and completed residency training at UPMC Presbyterian, followed by fellowships at Harvard Medical School’s Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Center.