Noah Hahn, MD, recently concluded his tenure as chief scientific officer of the Hoosier Oncology Group and associate professor of medicine at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center (IUSCC). Hahn joins the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center as bladder cancer program director starting April 2014.

Hahn served at Hoosier Oncology Group since 2009 as chief medical officer on the board of directors, and since 2012 as chief scientific officer. During this time, Hoosier Oncology Group experienced significant growth, including an increase in its network of members to more than 130 academic and community sites in early 2014. Hahn was also responsible for cultivating many relationships with new pharmaceutical and biotech partners

Hahn came to medicine by way of engineering, earning his mechanical engineering degree at Notre Dame. It was a good fit — he had always been good at math and science — and he felt an engineering background would give him more options than committing to a pre-medicine route.

During his time at Notre Dame, Hahn learned he would need dental surgery to correct an open bite. The surgery, performed through the IU School of Dentistry, opened Hahn’s eyes to the possibilities medicine offered in an academic setting.

“It was a really positive experience for me, seeing the residents and the teaching physicians, and how it was done,” said Hahn. “It showed me how much someone can make an impact on an individual life with a simple act. So, that really got me serious about medical school.”

Hahn completed his engineering degree, knowing additional coursework would be required for medical school. He joined a consulting agency in Chicago, and in the evenings he commuted to Purdue Calumet to complete the requisite courses. By the time he took the MCAT, Hahn was fully committed to a career in medicine.

“For me it was a very conscious choice of what I wanted to do,” said Hahn. “I noticed several of my colleagues in medical school were struggling with whether they really wanted to do this. I didn’t have those doubts.”

Hahn completed his residency at Duke University and came to IUSCC for his fellowship in 2003. He joined the faculty at IUSCC in July 2006 where he served as associate professor of medicine through March 2014.

At IUSCC, Hahn directed the clinical and translational research efforts of the prostate and bladder cancer programs. In that role, he delivered care to all advanced prostate and bladder cancer patients, established a clinical and biorepository database as a foundation for translational research, participated in regulatory oversight of prostate and bladder cancer trials, and worked to secure grant funding for research. Hahn also served as a mentor to fellows, residents, and students at the IUSCC.

Hahn participates in the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) genitourinary (GU) oncology clinical trials steering committee to design and shape practice-changing national GU clinical trials.

Hahn also played a significant role in the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium, serving as the organization’s first executive officer during a time that featured several milestone accomplishments following initial discussions to form the BTCRC in 2011.

“If we sit back and look at, in the span of that time, that we’ve gotten 12 organizations to come together, to have signed contracts for us to be able to negotiate with sponsors, and that now we’re working on a centralized IRB concept, we’ve got a steering board, we’ve got input from all the cancer center directors, we’ve got clinical trial ideas that have been proposed and are working through the process of approval — that’s a lot to have gotten done in that amount of time,” said Hahn. “It’s incredibly exciting and something I’m really proud to have been a part of.”

Hahn notes his background in engineering has been helpful in his role as a physician and a researcher.

“Engineering really was a good foundation for me to be able to look at complex multi-system problems in a different way,” he said. “A lot of times when we see patients with problems, we know what the problem is; the question is, how do we best address it and relieve the patient’s symptoms, treat the disease, and try to prevent it from coming back or causing more problems?”

And the answer may be entirely different from patient to patient, even where the same disease is involved.

“You need to look at each patient uniquely, and you need to have an understanding of not only their disease but everything that comes to the table with that,” said Hahn. “If you don’t, then you can fall into the danger of treating everyone the same, and your outcomes are not going to be nearly as good as you would like them to be.”

As Hahn prepares for his transition to Johns Hopkins, he reflects on his family — his wife Molly, and children Doyle (6), Leo (4), and Elizabeth (2) — and realizes the transition will be significant for them.

“Molly grew up in Indiana, and her family is largely based here,” Hahn said. “She likes traveling, but it’s different when you’re picking up your family and moving to a city where there’s not a deep support system.”

But Hahn is optimistic, noting the opportunities the move will provide. “Having a bigger-picture view of the world, being that close to D.C. and at an institution like Johns Hopkins, I do think it’s going to provide them a much broader perspective,” Hahn said.

Noah and Molly met at a Notre Dame Alumni Association event and recently celebrated their 8th anniversary.

“She is the good counterpart to everything in my life, she is able to put up with me and my crazy schedule, and she’s the person who keeps me on track,” he said. “Knowing there’s someone there that’s a rock that I can count on allows me to do what I do in a way I could never do alone.”

Looking back at his 11 years at the IUSCC, Hahn recalls the first 18 months on faculty with special fondness. During that time, he began working with Chris Sweeney, former chair of the board of directors of Hoosier Oncology Group and an associate professor at IUSCC.

“We were likeminded in terms of our philosophies for patient care, but also in terms of where we saw the field of prostate and bladder cancer going from a research standpoint, and how IU could contribute to that individually and in partnership with Hoosier Oncology Group.”

When Sweeney left IUSCC in December 2007, Hahn assumed the leadership of the prostate and bladder cancer program at IUSCC, an opportunity that he found both challenging and deeply rewarding, particularly at such an early stage in his career. “That thrust me to a seat at the big kids’ table, so to speak, whether it be ECOG, bladder cancer taskforce, other cooperative groups, or relationships with industry through Hoosier Oncology Group,” said Hahn. “For me, that was a really critical time in my career. It allowed me to put together a very clear vision of what I think is necessary for a research program to succeed at the highest level.”

Hahn notes that Hoosier Oncology Group has been a mainstay throughout his career, and an important resource in his professional development.

“Hoosier Oncology Group has been critical for my career in terms of being able to do clinical trials and publishing those results. It establishes a reputation for you among your colleagues of being a finisher, and that’s very important. I would not be in the position that I am today without the Hoosier Oncology Group.”

As Hahn moves into his new role at Johns Hopkins, he notes his excitement for the opportunities ahead. In many cases, he will be working side-by-side with researchers he has known for years through ECOG and other national organizations — individuals whom he already considers friends and colleagues.

Hoosier Cancer Research Network (formerly known as Hoosier Oncology Group) conducts innovative cancer research in collaboration with academic and community physicians and scientists across the United States. The organization provides comprehensive clinical trial management and support, from conception through publication. Created in 1984 as a program of the Walther Cancer Institute, Hoosier Cancer Research Network became an independent nonprofit clinical research organization in 2007. Since its founding, Hoosier Cancer Research Network has initiated more than 150 trials in a variety of cancer types and supportive care, resulting in more than 300 publications. More than 4,400 patients have participated in Hoosier Cancer Research Network clinical trials.