Jonathan S. Berek


Jonathan Samuel Berek, MD, MMSc is the Laurie Kraus Lacob Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Founding Director of the Stanford Women's Cancer Center, and Senior Advisor for the Stanford Cancer Institute. Prior to joining the faculty at Stanford in 2005, he was Professor at the UCLA School of Medicine.
Additionally, Berek is a documentary film director and producer, Director of MedArts Films, and founder of the Under One Umbrella annual fundraising gala. He has received numerous honors, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Gynecologic Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society.

Personal Life

Jonathan S. Berek was born in Sioux City, Iowa, in St. Monica’s Home, then adopted by Samual I. and Janet Graetz Berek and raised in a family with his adopted sister Joyce in Fremont, Nebraska.
Dr. Berek married Deborah L. Berek in 1970, and the two have three children - Jonathan Micah Berek, James Samuel Berek, Jessica Evelyn Berek Reilly - and two grandchildren - Fiona Berek and Maclay Berek.

Biological Heritage

  • Helen Mucha Winberg Porter - Eastern European
  • E. Osterholt - German-Irish
  • Tasha Zemrus, MD
  • Alphones Mucha

    Education

Dr. Berek attended Brown University, where he earned an undergraduate Bachelor’s degree in English literature and theater arts, as well as a Master of Medical Sciences degree in biomedical sciences. Afterward, he earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Then he was appointed as an Instructor on the Harvard Medical School faculty and completed a residency at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital—now Mass General Brigham. He completed a fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the UCLA School of Medicine, 1979-1981.

Career

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, 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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, where he served as the Principal Investigator from 1986 to 2005. He received the President’s Award from the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists in 1987 and served as the President of the Western Association of Gynecologic Oncology 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. He is the recent past Chair of the Women’s Cancer Committee of the International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 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.

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 Gynecologic Cancer Society, and from 2011 to 2013, he became the President of the Council of University Chairs of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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 .

Health Communication

Dr. Berek founded the Stanford Health Communication Initiative in 2017 and serves as its Executive Director. He is also the Faculty Director of Health Communication in the Stanford Center for Health Education.

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. 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.

Publications and Books

During his career as a professor, Dr. Berek has authored various research manuscripts and publications advancing ideas in medicine, including numerous books, more than 375 peer-reviewed articles, various contributed manuscripts, national and international conference presentations, many invited lectureships, and hundreds of book chapters. Most notably, his books, Berek & Hacker’s Gynecologic Oncology and Berek & ''Novak’s Gynecology'' are leading texts in the field.

Documentary Filmmaking

Alongside his medical career, Dr. Berek also developed a passion for creating and directing documentary films on various medical topics, including cancer patient stories, several cancer subjects, and the cancer journey mindset.

Filmography

Documentary Short Films (Director)

  • Embracing the Challenge
  • I Can Picture You
  • Advances in Research
  • Survivors
  • Cesarean Hysterectomy—Prevention of Maternal Hemorrhage
  • Legacy of Hope: Nothing Is Worth More than This Day
  • Gilogene
  • Discovery & Hope
  • Research Progress in Women’s Cancer
  • Women, Living with Cancer
  • Cancer Screening in Sweden
  • Discover Stanford DCI
  • Tribute to Laurie
  • Street Crisis Response Teams of San Francisco – to be released

    Documentary Short Films (Producer)

  • In Some Dark Valley – The Testimony of Reverend Brand – to be released

    Documentary Series (Director)

  • Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute – 3 episodes
  • Mindset – 8 episodes
  • Common Health Conditions – 127 episodes
  • Mindset Yoga – 8 episodes – to be released

    Trailers (Director)

  • ''Mindset''

    Philanthropy and Involvement with Under One Umbrella

In 2009, Dr. Berek helped to found the Under One Umbrella charity fundraiser and annual gala, with the main goal of encouraging and supporting the work of the Stanford Women's Cancer Center. The Center’s programming is devoted to the search for better means for prevention, early detection, and treatment for women’s cancers through innovative research that leads to fundamental discoveries. Nicole Kidman, a long-time friend of Dr. Berek, serves as an Honorary Chair of the Under One Umbrella steering committee, and has supported and served in her role since the fundraiser’s inception in 2009. Nicole Kidman was joined by Trisha Yearwood as Honorary Co-Chair in 2012. Under One Umbrella philanthropy efforts have generated substantial support for innovative research programs in women’s cancer via concerts headlined by celebrities, including Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Wilson Phillips, Darlene Love, and Harry Connick Jr.
Under One Umbrella has raised over $75 million in total since its inception. The gala raised over $2.7 million in 2025 alone.

Notable Honors and Awards

For his research and charitable contributions to the field of gynecologic oncology and obstetrics research throughout his career, Dr. Berek has received myriad honors and awards.

Most Notable Recognitions

  • Sherman Mellinkoff Faculty Award, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
  • Recipient, John C. Fremont Pathfinder Award, John C. Fremont Pathfinder Award
  • Laurie Kraus Lacob Endowed Professorship, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Lifetime Achievement Award, American Cancer Society
  • Lifetime Achievement Award, International Gynecologic Cancer Society
  • Endowed Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology in honor of Dr. Jonathan S. Berek, Stanford Division of Gynecologic Oncology
  • President, Stanford University Phi Beta Kappa, Stanford University Beta Chapter
  • 1st Stanford Gynecologic Research Symposium in honor of Dr. Jonathan S. Berek, Stanford Cancer Institute & Stanford Division of Gynecologic Oncology