Diane M. Simeone, MD
New York University (NYU) Langone Medical Center has announced that surgeon and scientist Diane M. Simeone, MD, will join its Perlmutter Cancer Center on March 1, 2017, to serve as Associate Director for Translational Research and to lead its newly established Pancreatic Cancer Center.
Currently Director of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Program at the University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Simeone has had a long and distinguished career in pancreatic cancer research and treatment. Her laboratory was the first to identify pancreatic cancer stem cells, a discovery that might help explain why current drug therapies are ineffective against the disease. She also leads a prolific research program on pancreatic cancer prevention, early detection, and therapeutics and holds major leadership positions with organizations advancing pancreatic cancer research and advocacy worldwide.
Will Wear Many Hats
As Director of the new Pancreatic Cancer Center, Dr. Simeone will set its overall clinical and research direction, with the goal of establishing NYU Langone and Perlmutter Cancer Center as a major site for cutting-edge clinical trials in the disease. In her laboratory, she will continue to investigate the molecular events important in pancreatic cancer development—with the goal of identifying biomarkers for early detection and new therapies that improve patient survival. On the clinical side, Dr. Simeone will maintain her focus on the management of pancreatic neoplasms, and as the Cancer Center’s Associate Director for Translational Research, she will expedite the progression of laboratory studies and research on all types of cancer to clinical practice.
“The incidence of pancreatic cancer is dramatically increasing, and by 2020, it will be the second-highest cause of cancer death in the United States,” said Benjamin G. Neel, MD, PhD, Director of Perlmutter Cancer Center. “Unfortunately, the medical community has limited ability to prevent pancreatic cancer, detect it at an early stage, or treat it effectively. That is why we have identified improving pancreatic cancer outcomes among our top priorities at Perlmutter Cancer Center. Dr. Simeone’s recruitment and the creation of a Pancreatic Cancer Center that joins laboratory researchers and clinicians in a joint effort to cure this terrible disease are critical to executing this goal.”
“I am very excited to join the team at NYU Langone, an institution with visionary leadership that has set an extraordinary trajectory to enable faculty to tackle complex problems like cancer,” Dr. Simeone said. ■
