[5] In 1971, he became head of the cellular and tumor immunology section in the National Cancer Institute's Laboratory of Cell Biology.
Herberman’s laboratory was at the forefront of research leading to the discovery of a new category of lymphocytes, termed natural killer (NK) cells.
Herberman was a member of the Board of Directors of Celsense, Inc., a company he co-founded with Eric Ahrens, Paul Kornblith, Lans Taylor, Tom Petzinger, and Charlie O'Hanlon in 2005.
On July 21, Herberman issued a memo to UPCI personnel titled “Important Precautionary Advice Regarding Cell Phone Use,”[10] which began: “Recently I have become aware of the growing body of literature linking long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects including cancer.
On September 25, 2008, Herberman appeared before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Domestic Policy as part of a hearing on the prolonged use of cell phones.
Cell phones continuously receive and emit radiofrequency radiation, and long term exposure against your body can contribute to health risks.” In the same Post story, he also stated that “I believe strongly that we need to utilize the principle of simple precautions until evidence one way or the other becomes definitive.” Herberman was a Board of Directors member of LessCancer.org, an organization formed by the Next Generation Choices Foundation dedicated to eliminating cancer through lifestyle changes.
LessCancer founded the Ronald B. Heberman Speaker Series to discuss cancer prevention issues with members of Congress, in his honor.