Renowned Cancer Researcher Named As First Director of Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute
Los Angeles - April 19, 2007 – Internationally renowned cancer researcher Steven Piantadosi, MD, PhD, has been named director of the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Piantadosi will lead the medical center's programs in cancer research, treatment and education, as well as new initiatives that bring together Cedars-Sinai's physicians and researchers from different areas for innovative clinical and scientific collaborations.
Piantadosi is currently professor of oncology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of biostatistics at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. He is also professor of biostatistics and professor of epidemiology at the university's Bloomberg School of Public Health. Piantadosi earned his medical degree from the University of North Carolina and PhD in Biomathematics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Piantadosi is one of the world's leading experts in the design of clinical trials for cancer research, and has been a member of several FDA committees. He has also served on external advisory boards for other prominent cancer centers, including the M.D. Anderson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is the author of the textbook Clinical Trials: A Methodologic Perspective, which is widely considered a classic text for designing cancer clinical trials.
"Innovative cancer research with a focus on getting treatments to our patients has been a primary strength at Cedars-Sinai for many years, and Dr. Piantadosi's international leadership in cancer research and patient care is a perfect match for our Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute," said Thomas M. Priselac, Cedars-Sinai president and CEO.
The author of more than 230 peer-reviewed scientific articles, Piantadosi is currently a senior editor of the journal Clinical Cancer Research, and previously served on the advisory board for the International Journal of Clinical Oncology. He also holds leadership positions in several prominent multi-center cancer clinical trials, including vice-chairman for the National Emphysema Treatment Trial.
"One of the things that attracted me to Cedars-Sinai is its national reputation for high-quality patient care and its strengths in translational research, bringing the latest research from the laboratory to the patient's bedside quickly," Piantadosi said. "Cedars-Sinai is a unique institution among American academic medical centers, and I am deeply honored and excited by this opportunity."
"Dr. Piantadosi's appointment as director is an important milestone for the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, and signals the start of a new phase of development for our excellent cancer research and patient-care programs," said Shlomo Melmed, M.D., Cedars- Sinai's senior vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer. "His international stature and leadership skills will be a huge asset to Cedars-Sinai and cancer patients everywhere."