Anthony B. El-Khoueiry, MD, has been appointed Director of the University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, effective November 1.
Anthony B. El-Khoueiry, MD
Prior to the appointment, Dr. El-Khoueiry served as Associate Director for Clinical Research, Medical Director of the Clinical Investigations Support Office, and Chief of Section of Developmental Therapeutics/Phase I program at USC Norris. He also holds the Verna R. Richter Chair in Cancer Research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. El-Khoueiry is a medical oncologist with Keck Medicine of USC and has led numerous clinical trials that ushered meaningful therapies for patients with cancer.
“Dr. El-Khoueiry has demonstrated his exemplary leadership and a deep commitment to advancing cancer research during his decades of service at USC,” said Keck School of Medicine Dean Vassilios Papadopoulos, DPharm, PhD, DSc (Hon). “His expertise in clinical trials, dedication to advancing new therapies, and collaborative approach to research will be invaluable as USC Norris continues to push the boundaries of cancer discovery.”
As Director, Dr. El-Khoueiry will advance the center’s mission to translate scientific discoveries into new approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. He sees its culture of team science, its innovative basic and translational research, its strength in population science, and early-phase clinical trial program as crucial to that work.
“I am honored to lead USC Norris and build on the center’s strong legacy of scientific discovery and clinical innovation,” said Dr. El-Khoueiry. “We are poised to be at the forefront of therapeutic innovation, especially in the areas of immunotherapy and cellular therapies. I look forward to working with our multidisciplinary teams of scientists and clinicians to advance personalized care and to broaden our efforts in the areas of cancer epidemiology, prevention, and diagnosis. At the same time, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to providing compassionate state-of-the-art care and ensuring that all USC Norris patients and communities have access to innovative clinical trials.”
Pioneering New Therapies for Liver Cancer
Dr. El-Khoueiry is an international leader in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, with a particular focus on liver and biliary tract cancers.
Much of his work has centered on clinical trials of investigational therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma. These include experimental drugs that alter gene activity in cancer cells, block signals that help cancer grow, and change how the immune system responds to cancer. His research was pivotal to ushering in the era of immunotherapy for HCC and has contributed to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals for multiple new therapies.
Launching a Phase I Drug Development Program
In 2007, Dr. El-Khoueiry established the USC Norris phase I program, which is dedicated to the development and administration of first-in-human clinical trials for solid tumors. The program covers a broad range of therapeutic modalities, including first-in-class agents that inhibit historically “undruggable” targets driving cancer and new immunotherapeutic approaches beyond checkpoint inhibitors. Dr. El-Khoueiry and the other four phase I investigators he recruited and mentored have produced multiple manuscripts on novel therapies that have reached later stages of development or resulted in FDA approvals. The success of this program led to the creation of the Section of Developmental Therapeutics, which is now the home of the phase I program.
Dr. El-Khoueiry’s work has earned him numerous awards and honors, including a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Investigator Team Leadership Award, which recognizes outstanding clinical researchers at NCI-designated cancer centers. He has served as the Chair of the Southwest Oncology Group’s Hepatobiliary Cancers Subcommittee and was recently appointed as Co-Chair of the NCI Hepatobiliary Cancers Task Force.
He completed his medical degree, residency in internal medicine, and a fellowship in hematology and oncology at USC before joining the faculty in 2004. During his tenure at USC, he played a critical role in expanding and refining the infrastructure for cancer clinical trials, growing the portfolio of USC Norris–led and investigator-initiated clinical trials, fostering collaborations through NCI collaborative clinical research grants, and enhancing access to clinical trials, including patients at the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
“We live in unprecedented times where science and technology are enabling monumental advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr. El-Khoueiry. “I am grateful and honored by the opportunity to lead our USC Norris community in our quest to make cancer a disease of the past.”
