Dec 17, 2020 11:00 AM

Author: Carley Lehauli


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Huntsman Cancer Institute

Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah announces the appointment of four new members to its External Advisory Board (EAB): Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD, Jennifer Pietenpol, PhD, Leonidas C. Platanias, MD, PhD, and John Pounardjian, MBA.

Olopade is director of the Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics and Global Health at the University of Chicago Medicine in Illinois. She is an expert in cancer risk assessment and personalized treatment for the most aggressive breast cancers.

Pietenpol is director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and executive vice president for research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Her research focuses on breast cancer.

Platanias is director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and professor of oncology at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. His research focuses on cytokine pathway tumors.

Pounardjian is associate director of administration at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio. He is recognized broadly for his administrative expertise in the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) and Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) Grant.

The EAB is a consultative board charged with providing insight and advice to HCI leadership to inform strategic planning decisions. The board evaluates the scientific merit of HCI’s cancer research programs, the quality of clinical and translational programs, and the overall direction of HCI research. View the full roster of EAB members.

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About Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah

Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah is the official cancer center of Utah and the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Mountain West. The campus includes a state-of-the-art cancer specialty hospital, and two buildings dedicated to cancer research. HCI provides patient care, cancer screening, and education at community clinics and affiliate hospitals throughout the Mountain West. HCI is consistently recognized among the best cancer hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report. The region’s first proton therapy center opened in 2021 and a major hospital expansion is underway. HCI is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for staff, students, patients, and communities. Advancing cancer research discoveries and treatments to meet the needs of patients who live far away from a major medical center is a unique focus. More genes for inherited cancers have been discovered at HCI than at any other cancer center, including genes responsible for breast, ovarian, colon, head and neck cancers, and melanoma. HCI was founded by Jon M. and Karen Huntsman.

Cancer touches all of us.

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