Ronald Bruce Herberman (February 26, 1940 – June 1, 2013) was an American physician, immunologist, oncologist, and professor of medicine and pathology who founded the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Care Center in 1984. He helped discover natural killer cells capable of killing cancer. He became well known outside the medical community in 2008 for his public warning about the potential health impacts of mobile telephones and recommending a reduction in their use. Early life Herberman was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 26, 1940. He attended New York University, where he earned a BA in 1960 and MD in 1964. Immunology and cancer research In 1968, prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh, Herberman was a senior investigator in the immunology branch of the National Cancer Institute, where he organized a research program related to tumor and cellular immunology. In 1971, he became head of the cellular and tumor immunology section in the National Cancer Institute's Laboratory of Cell Biology. In this role he was responsible for a research program related to studies in animal model systems and in patients with cancer, studying the cell mediated immune responses to tumors. Herberman’s laboratory was at the forefront of research leading to the discovery of a new category of lymphocytes, termed natural killer (NK) cells. After that, much of Herberman's research focused on characterizing these natural effector cells and on their role in resisting cancer growth. In 1975, Herberman was selected to become the chief of the National Cancer Institute’s Laboratory of Immunodiagnosis as part of the Institute’s intramural and extramural research program focused on immunodiagnosis of cancer. He also assumed responsibility for the national contract program on immunodiagnosis of cancer. Herberman was invited by the University of Pittsburgh to establish their Cancer Institute in 1984. In 1988, he was appointed chairman of the Biological Response Modifiers Committee of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ AIDS Clinical Trials Group and also served as a member of the NIAID AIDS Clinical Drug Development Committee. Herberman authored over 700 publications in the medical literature and was editor of multiple journals, including Journal of Immunology, Journal of Immunotherapy, International Immunopharmacology, and Journal of Experimental Therapeutics and Oncology. Industry roles Herberman served as Chief Medical Officer for Intrexon.At the time of his death, Herberman was chief medical officer and senior vice president for research and development