Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, to lead U of A Cancer Center

The University of Arizona Health Sciences has appointed Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, as the director of the U of A Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Theodorescu will begin his duties as the Nancy C. and Craig M. Berge Endowed Chair for the Director of the Cancer Center on March 1.

Theodorescu will oversee the scientific and administrative operations of the Cancer Center, which includes the Ginny L. Clements Breast Cancer Research Institute and the Skin Cancer Institute. The latter is the model for comprehensive skin cancer outreach, education, research and clinical care in Arizona.

“We are very proud of the University of Arizona Cancer Center’s five decades of service as the only National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center headquartered in Arizona, uniting top clinicians and scientists as they seek to understand, prevent and treat cancer,” said University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella. “Dr. Theodorescu’s groundbreaking translational research and his outstanding history of academic and administrative excellence make him the ideal person to lead the Cancer Center as it continues to shape the future of cancer care. We look forward to his impact.”

Theodorescu highlighted the Cancer Center’s long and storied history in cancer prevention as one of the things that drew him to the university.

“I am passionate about advancing cancer care through precision prevention and therapy, community engagement, and the integration of innovative strategies to improve patient outcomes,” Theodorescu said. “Arizona’s large and diverse population and the Cancer Center’s participation in the Cancer Moonshot and clinical trial networks provide the unique opportunity to serve different populations and determine how we can successfully address their health challenges.”

Theodorescu’s appointment “marks an exciting new chapter in our pursuit of groundbreaking cancer research and transformative patient care,” said Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, senior vice president for research and innovation. “His visionary leadership and pioneering work in precision oncology align perfectly with our mission to drive innovation that directly benefits communities across Arizona and beyond. I look forward to seeing the Cancer Center thrive under his guidance as we continue to push the boundaries of discovery and impact lives through scientific excellence.”

Early researchers at the Cancer Center, which was founded in 1976, laid the foundation for cutting-edge precision medicine cancer treatments and made pioneering advances in lymphoma and ovarian cancer research that shifted the field and led to multiple breakthroughs. In recent years, Cancer Center researchers have identified drug combinations to prevent colon cancer and treat ovarian cancer, successfully tested a new immunotherapy to treat patients with aggressive cancers of the head and neck, engineered a novel fallopian tube imaging endoscope to help diagnose ovarian cancer, and developed smartphone confocal microscopy devices for skin and cervical cancer diagnosis.

“Dr. Theodorescu is an internationally renowned physician-scientist who brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and innovation to the University of Arizona Cancer Center,” said Michael D. Dake, MD, senior vice president for the U of A Health Sciences. “I am confident his leadership will transform the Cancer Center as we strive to solve critical health care problems, provide compassionate care and build healthier communities for all.”

A pioneering leader in bladder cancer research, Theodorescu will be a tenured professor of urology at the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson. His cutting-edge application of computational biology led to the discovery of genes that drive bladder and other cancers while providing novel biomarkers, therapeutic targets and the foundations for personalized treatments, such as the new Molecular Twin artificial intelligence-based precision oncology platform.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Theodorescu to Banner – University Medicine Tucson and look forward to collaborating with him on patient care and clinical research-related activities as we continue to build on the inspiring success of the U of A Cancer Center. We are committed to providing exceptional patient care and advancing new therapies for those we serve,” said Banner – University Medicine Tucson CEO Alison Flynn Gaffney. The U of A Cancer Center’s clinical arm is part of Banner – University Medicine Tucson.

Theodorescu comes to the U of A Health Sciences from Los Angeles, where he has been the director of the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center since 2018. At Cedars-Sinai, Theodorescu and his team significantly grew the institute’s grant portfolio, led several new initiatives including two strategic plans, and recruited more than 70 researchers and clinicians in cancer.

From 2010 to 2018, Theodorescu was the director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, a statewide consortium for which he secured new state legislative funding for cancer research. Under his leadership, the center was elected to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and Oncology Research Information Exchange Network.

He has been elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons, the American Surgical Association and the National Academy of Medicine. Theodorescu is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is the founding co-editor of Bladder Cancer, the first journal focused on this disease.

Theodorescu received his medical degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, and completed a residency in urology at the University of Toronto, where he also earned his doctorate. He completed his fellowship in urologic oncology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.