Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (U of U) announced the appointment of Neeraj Agarwal, MD, physician-scientist at HCI and professor of internal medicine at the U of U, as senior director of clinical research innovation. In this role, Agarwal will serve on the senior leadership of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at HCI. He will oversee critical components of HCI’s clinical research infrastructure and will be charged to lead efforts that will accelerate the process of bringing new, innovative clinical trial offerings to patients. He will also serve as leadership mentor to junior physician-scientists at HCI.
"Dr. Agarwal is a highly accomplished, compassionate, and dedicated physician with a deep commitment to HCI’s mission, the patient experience, and innovation in research and clinical care," says Neli Ulrich, PhD, executive director of the comprehensive cancer center at HCI. "He is an internationally renowned leader in clinical research and a passionate advocate for cancer patients. He will be a valuable addition to our leadership team as we advance our vision for a cancer-free frontier."
Agarwal has longstanding impacts in clinical research in prostate, kidney, and bladder cancer. He is the overall study chair of multiple Phase I/II and Phase III trials, and serves as a steering committee member of numerous other trials. Agarwal has received many accolades for his clinical research activities, including a SWOG Young Investigator Award, the William D. Odell Young Investigator Award, and a National Cancer Institute Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award. In 2018, he was appointed as Huntsman Cancer Institute Presidential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. After receiving his medical training at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, he completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in geriatric medicine at the University of Iowa, followed by a hematology-oncology fellowship at HCI.
Agarwal has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He serves as a panel member for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline committees for bladder and kidney cancers. He is an advisor to the Oncology Drug Advisory Committee and the United States Food and Drug Administration, and leads early therapeutics in the SWOG genitourinary cancers committee. He holds numerous scientific communications leadership roles, including associate editor of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Daily News, specialty editor for ASCO’s cancer.net site, and editorial board member of several journals, including Journal of Clinical Oncology. He also serves as a member of the ASCO Communications Committee and the ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Advisory Panel. He will begin his new position effective April 1, 2021.