Karen E. Knudsen, PhD
Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA
Karen E. Knudsen, PhD, Enterprise Director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC), Jefferson Health, has been elected Vice President/President-Elect of the Association of American Cancer Institutes’ (AACI) Board of Directors, a 2-year term that will begin September 30. Dr. Knudsen, who has been serving as SKCC Enterprise Director since 2015, governs cancer research and cancer care across 14 hospitals within Jefferson Health.
“Dr. Knudsen is the leader we need for cancer today,” said Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, President of Thomas Jefferson University and Chief Executive Officer of Jefferson Health. “She has a deep commitment to both hard science and the urgency of gaining access to those scientific discoveries for all members of our communities. Here at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, she has led our focus on solving the intense disparities in cancer mortality in our city and improving the lives of all cancer patients through access for all to the most advanced care.”
As AACI President, Dr. Knudsen will work with the AACI Board of Directors to support their mission to enhance the impact of academic cancer centers.
More About Dr. Knudsen
Dr. Knudsen is also the Hilary Koprowski Chair in the Department of Cancer Biology at Thomas Jefferson University and Professor of Cancer Biology, Urology, Medical Oncology, and Radiation Oncology. Her translational research centers on prostate cancer and has contributed to new mechanisms for treatment of advanced disease.
In addition to being a member of AACI’s Board of Directors since 2016, Dr. Knudsen also serves on review, advisory, and elected panels for the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, ASCO, the American Association for Cancer Research, and is Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Molecular Cancer Research. ■
