The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) inaugurated José Baselga, MD, PhD, as President for 2015–2016 at the AACR Annual Meeting 2015.
Dr. Baselga, an internationally recognized physician-scientist whose research focuses on the clinical development of novel molecularly targeted agents (particularly for the treatment of breast cancer), is Physician-in-Chief and Chief Medical Officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
“It is an honor to serve as president of the AACR,” Dr. Baselga said. “We are currently in the midst of a revolution in cancer research, where new technologies and therapies are being developed at a record pace. The AACR is uniquely positioned to advance the promise of precision medicine initiatives. As president, I am eager to work with the AACR community as a whole to integrate basic and clinical research, improve access to clinical trials, coordinate our regulatory policies, and increase our ability to collaborate on the many breakthroughs occurring in cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.”
Treatment Breakthroughs
Dr. Baselga is a pioneer in the development of treatments for women with HER2-positive breast cancer. He conducted the initial clinical trial demonstrating that patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer benefited from treatment with the anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin). He also led the clinical development of the second anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, pertuzumab (Perjeta).
In addition to Dr. Baselga’s appointment, Nancy E. Davidson, MD, Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and UPMC Cancer Center, was inducted as AACR President-Elect. Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, Professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Associate Director for Clinical Research, Director of the Center for Cancer Targeted Therapies, and Director of the Breast Cancer Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, now serves as AACR Past-President. ■
