COLUMBUS, Ohio – Dr. William B. Farrar, chief executive officer of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James), will retire from his nearly five-decade long career as a surgical oncologist and CEO of central Ohio’s largest freestanding cancer hospital, effective June 30.

A long-time leader who is both beloved by patients and respected by colleagues, Farrar was the first surgical oncology fellow at Ohio State and the last medical trainee of the hospital’s namesake and renowned surgical oncologist, Dr. Arthur G. James, who died in 2001.

During his 46-year tenure at the OSUCCC – James, Farrar performed more than 20,000 surgeries on patients with nearly every kind of malignancy except brain cancer. Later in his career, he began specializing in breast cancer care and conducting research and clinical trials.

“Dr. Farrar’s surgical excellence has had an immeasurable impact on patients, their families, his colleagues and in our communities,” said President Kristina M. Johnson. “He has seen our cancer program rise to national prominence and played an integral part in its development. When the original James Cancer Hospital opened to patients in July 1990, Dr. Farrar was an inaugural member of the medical staff, and over the subsequent decades, he expertly held several top leadership positions while never losing his fervent passion for one-on-one patient care. We extend our sincerest gratitude and congratulations to Dr. Farrar for an unmatched career in medicine.”

Farrar has held key administrative positions, including 28 years as director of the Division of Surgical Oncology in The Ohio State University College of Medicine Department of Surgery, 22 years as director of medical affairs at the OSUCCC – James and a decade as the inaugural director of the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center. In 2017, Farrar became interim CEO of the cancer hospital and was named to the full position in 2019. He still holds the Dr. Arthur G. and Mildred C. James – Richard J. Solove Chair in Surgical Oncology at the Ohio State College of Medicine.
In addition to his clinical career, Farrar has long been a researcher in the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 clinical studies and reviews published in scientific journals, including studies on such subjects as genetic counseling and sentinel lymph node mapping/biopsy – a procedure to determine whether cancer cells have spread from the tumor to adjacent lymph nodes.

“Dr. Farrar helped to define The James as we know it today. As a clinician, educator, researcher and leader, he helped evolve our nationally renowned cancer care through his expertise as much as the kindness he showed every patient,” said Dr. Andrew Thomas, interim co-leader and chief clinical officer at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “His legacy continues through the many physicians he has mentored and the patients who are living their best lives.”

Farrar also has served as president of the U.S. National Committee for the International Union Against Cancer, as principal investigator for the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project Clinical Trial group at Ohio State, and on numerous national committees.

Colleagues note that his most lasting career legacy, however, is the genuine caring and compassion he brought to the care of his patients.

“Dr. Farrar deeply cares about his patients; it is unequivocally clear from the ‘get-go’ that this is his key motivation,” said Dr. Raphael Pollock, director of the OSUCCC. “He’s a surgeon’s surgeon who performs at the highest level of technical commitment, but equally important are his personal humility, his quiet and professional persona, his quick smile and his very big heart.”

To read more about Farrar’s career, visit health.osu.edu. For information about patient care and research at the OSUCCC – James, visit cancer.osu.edu.