Dennis Slamon,

MD, PhD

TRIO Chairman & Executive Director since November 5, 2002

Hailing from New Castle, Pennsylvania, Dr. Dennis Slamon is a world-renowned doctor and researcher. He is known for his work on the drug trastuzumab (Herceptin), a gene-based breast cancer therapy that targets a specific genetic alteration, HER2, found in about 20-25 per cent of breast cancer patients. The discovery of the association between the HER2 alteration poor clinical outcomes and subsequent development of Herceptin was of major significance in cancer research and helped one of the most fatal types of breast cancer become one of the most treatable and manageable. He also led the preclinical and clinical research that demonstrated targeting the CDK-4/6 pathway with specific inhibitors significantly improved outcomes for women challenged with hormone receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer.

Dr. Slamon graduated with honours from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine in 1975 and earned his PhD in Cell Biology that same year. After completing his internship and residency at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics, he took the position of chief resident in the Department of Medicine in 1978. One year later, he became a fellow in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

A celebrated medical professional, Dr. Slamon has won nearly two dozen national and international research awards for his scientific achievements. These awards include the prestigious Medal of Honor from the American Cancer Society, he David Karnofsky Award from ASCO, the Gairdner International Award from Canada, both the Landon and Rosenthal Awards from the AACR, and most recently the Sjoberg Award from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the DeBakey-Lasker Prize.

Dr. Slamon currently serves as Director of Clinical Translational Research at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and continues to make a difference with his impactful research for treating cancer.