Huntsman Cancer Institute Adds Distinguished New Members to External Advisory Board

Dec 17, 2020 11:00 AM

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.