Mark Einstein, M.D., M.S., started his career at Einstein Montefiore as a fellow in gynecologic oncology, later becoming an attending physician, the vice chair of research, and a professor in the department of obstetrics & gynecology and women’s health. He returned to Einstein last summer as the new chair of the department and now holds the Chella and Moise Safra Endowed Chair in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health.

Dr. Einstein has recently served as president of the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, which oversees management guidelines for abnormal cervical cancer screening tests in the United States.

When did you know that you wanted to specialize in gynecologic oncology?

I fell in love with it during medical school at the University of Miami, when I realized that I could take full care of patients with cancer, from performing complex surgeries to prescribing chemotherapy. In the clinic I must think like a medical oncologist, but in the operating room I have to think like a surgical oncologist. I get to wear both hats.

Thanks to clinical research, which also excited me early on, the field is constantly changing and adapting. What we are doing now differs from what we were doing five years ago, and we continue to learn. Because cancers can come back in some patients, we are driven to get more and better answers until we ultimately arrive at a cure.

Why have you focused on cervical cancer in particular?

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” We have the tools to prevent cervical cancer, but there are still a lot of policy and access issues standing in the way of being able to fix what is a fixable cancer. I look forward to the day that I never have to take care of another woman suffering from cervical cancer again.

You were at Einstein for a long stretch before leaving to chair the OB/GYN department at Rutgers University for nearly a decade. What brought you back?

Einstein is a special place. People are drawn here for the purpose of serving a community where there is a great deal of need. Bronx County has the highest maternal mortality rate in New York State. And the rate of cervical cancer is nearly double for women living in the economically disadvantaged neighborhoods of the Bronx compared with those in the wealthiest areas of New York City.

I look at this as a challenge. We have the opportunity to really move the needle and make a difference in the lives of people we care for.

With your last name, it feels like destiny.

I remember when I was a very, very busy clinician during my first go-round, patients would joke, “You must own the place!” And I thought, “If that were true, I probably wouldn’t always be here working so late.”

Thinking back on your decades of research, what stands out most to you?

I’m proud to be part of the team that tested and oversaw the policies for use of the vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer as well as other types of cancers in both women and men. I led many international trials showing just how superbly this vaccine works to provide lasting immunity against HPV. We’ve also been able to demonstrate that, for 90% of people, one dose of the vaccine is sufficient. And not having to spend money on a booster shot makes a huge difference to public-health budgets in low-income countries.

I’ve also developed clinical trials to test treatments and protocols that have changed outcomes for patients with gynecologic cancers. When, after years of effort, you arrive at something that works, and you see your trials included in national treatment guidelines, that’s powerful. Being able to use data and research to improve the lives of people I will never meet is incredibly affirming and drives me to keep pushing the bar higher for our patients through research.

What do you enjoy most about being a clinician?

It can be daunting and scary to undergo cancer therapy. I feel strongly that it’s my job to translate the complexity of my patients’ cancers and therapies into laypersons’ terms. As a clinician, I must engage patients and establish trust if we are going to work together to improve their lives.

Another aspect that I really enjoy about being at Einstein is training the next generation of physicians. When I take a trainee or junior faculty member through a complex operation, and I see that light bulb going off—they get it!—that’s incredibly valuable to me. One of the ways that I feel as if I’ve affected the world for good is by training the young clinicians and researchers who will take my place one day.

What are you excited about that you are working on now?

I’ve been very involved in researching treatments for cervical precancers that affect young women in the prime of their reproductive years. In the absence of an approved therapeutic to treat these lesions, we wind up having to cut them out. I’m hopeful that during my career we’ll have an effective medical alternative to surgery for treating something that commonly happens in women as young as age 25.

What do you like to do outside of work?

My number one priority is my three daughters—being there for them and watching their trajectories as young adults. In terms of hobbies, I have a passion for scuba diving. It’s a Zen-like experience being underwater with fish; you just breathe and hang there weightless. And I’m a violin player. I wish I had time to do that more, because every time I pull out the violin, I think, “I need practice!”