The American Association for Cancer Research has tapped Robert Vonderheide, MD, PhD, as president-elect for the 2026-27 term.
Dr. Vonderheide will assume the presidency in April 2027, according to a March 17 news release from the association.
He is director of Philadelphia-based Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, vice dean for cancer programs at the Perelman School of Medicine; vice president of cancer programs and lead physician for the cancer service line for the University of Pennsylvania Health System; and president of the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, the release said.
Dr. Vonderheide and 14 other oncology leaders recently spoke to Becker’s about the nuance required of hospital and health system leaders to better understand the field of immunotherapy.
“Cancer immunotherapy is entering its precision phase; however, it won’t only be based on tumor mutations, but rather proteomics and cellular immunology, especially the baseline ‘immune health’ of the patients,” he told Becker’s. “For example, at Penn Medicine’s Institute for Immunology and Immune Health, scientists are conducting deep profiling of individual immune systems to capture each patient’s unique immune fingerprint, a living blueprint of personal health and disease, that offers new ways of thinking about healthcare. Vendor and hospital assays that take advantage of technology to go beyond just mutational panels — or even genomic testing — of tumors will likely soon be the vanguard for immune personalized medicine for patients with cancer.”
Read the full insights here.
