The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) has announced the election of Karen E. Knudsen, PhD; Norman Sharpless, MD; and Eduardo Sotomayor, MD, to the AACI Board of Directors. The new Directors’ 3-year terms will start on October 23, 2016, during the AACI/ Cancer Center Administrators Forum Annual Meeting in Chicago.
Karen E. Knudsen, PhD
Karen E. Knudsen, PhD
Dr. Knudsen is the third director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Dr. Knudsen was appointed Director in January 2015 after having served as the Deputy Director and the founding member of the SKCC Prostate Cancer program.
Prior to taking on the directorship, Dr. Knudsen also served as the Vice Provost of Thomas Jefferson University, overseeing basic and clinical research at all six schools within the university. In addition to cancer center leadership, Dr. Knudsen serves as Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology for Thomas Jefferson.
Norman Sharpless, MD
Norman Sharpless, MD
Dr. Sharpless became Director of the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in January 2014. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He subsequently trained in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and in hematology and oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Dr. Sharpless runs a 15-person basic science group that employs genetically engineered mice to study cancer and aging. His research has focused on how normal cells age and undergo malignant conversion. Dr. Sharpless discovered a fundamental biologic link between cancer and aging. He has used this knowledge to develop murine models and human diagnostic tests of molecular age.
Eduardo Sotomayor, MD
Eduardo Sotomayor, MD
Dr. Sotomayor is the Director of George Washington Cancer Center at George Washington University. He received his MD degree from Federico Villarreal National University School of Medicine in Lima, Peru. He completed a residency training in Internal Medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami School of Medicine in Florida, followed by a fellowship in Medical Oncology at Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Sotomayor’s basic/translational research focuses on the immunobiology and immunotherapy of B-cell malignancies. His clinical interest lies particularly with mantle cell lymphoma. ■
