Following an extensive national search, Diane M. Simeone, MD, has been appointed Director of Moores Cancer Center at the University of California (UC) San Diego Health. Dr. Simeone brings institutional, national, and international leadership experience both to oncologic patient care and scientific research, with a focus on establishing novel models of interdisciplinary collaboration. She is an internationally recognized surgeon in the biology and multidisciplinary treatment of pancreatic neoplasms, with an active clinical practice in pancreatic surgery.
Dr. Simeone has served as the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professor of Surgery, Director of the Pancreatic Cancer Center, and Associate Director of Translational Research at Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University Langone Health. She served as Chair of the scientific and medical advisory board of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and is a member of the scientific advisory board for the Let’s Win Pancreatic Cancer online community.
Diane M. Simeone, MD
“It is an incredible privilege and honor to be chosen to lead UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center in the setting of its world-class patient care and scientific discoveries,” said Dr. Simeone. “The opportunity to be able to help guide clinical and scientific innovation, increase access to early therapeutics through clinical trials, and train the next generation of clinicians and researchers is a lifetime opportunity.”
As Director of UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, Dr. Simeone will serve as the principal investigator for the National Cancer Institute–sponsored Cancer Center Support Grant and will provide strategic intellectual direction for the center’s research programs, administrative structure, and multidisciplinary clinical service line.
Dr. Simeone will partner with academic and clinical leaders to guide cancer research and care in the health sciences, provide advice and counsel to campus- and university-level committees, and chair UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center’s executive committee. She will also manage day-to-day operations, including scientific and education programs, as well as clinical programs, in collaboration with the center’s physician-in-chief.
Past and Present Leadership
Dr. Simeone previously served as President of the Society of University Surgeons and the American Pancreatic Association. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and a member of the Pancreatic Cancer Task Force and the Cancer Centers Study Section of the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
In addition, Dr. Simeone serves as the principal investigator and lead of Precision Promise, a national clinical trials consortium focused on next-generation clinical trials for patients with pancreatic cancer. In addition, she is the founder of the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection (PRECEDE) Consortium, an international consortium established to drive the early detection of pancreatic cancer.
