A pioneer in cancer research will become the next president of Moffitt Cancer Center.
Dr. Patrick Hwu (pronounced who) joins Moffitt from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he was the division head of cancer medicine.
He will begin on Nov. 10.
“Dr. Hwu is truly a cancer visionary ready to elevate Moffitt to even greater success,” said Tim Adams, chair of Moffitt’s Institute Board of Directors. “Drawing from his innovative cancer research, quality patient care and extensive leadership experience, Dr. Hwu will no doubt continue to help Moffitt in our pursuit of dynamic growth and groundbreaking work.”
Moffitt’s former CEO Alan List resigned last year along with the center’s director and four researchers after an internal investigation found they failed to disclose their participation in a Chinese recruitment program that paid them each tens of thousands of dollars. The National Institutes of Health had warned Moffitt and other institutions that collaborations with the Thousand Talents program could lead to the theft of intellectual property.
Hwu comes to Moffitt with 33 years of oncology experience and has more than 270 peer-reviewed publications. During his 17 years at MD Anderson, he has served as chairman of the Department of Sarcoma Medical Oncology and co-director of the Center for Cancer Immunology Research.
Hwu helped pioneer the field of gene modified T cells, a form of cancer immunotherapy treatment that Moffitt has invested in heavily.
Hwu is vice president and president-elect of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer and serves on numerous advisory boards throughout the U.S., including Moffitt’s External Advisory Board.
Hwu earned his medical degree from The Medical College of Pennsylvania.
“Dr. Patrick Hwu is a nationally respected physician-scientist with the vision to lead Moffitt into the future,” said the center’s founder H. Lee Moffitt. “Coming from the largest cancer center in the country, where he has distinguished himself and produced incredible results, we expect he will successfully guide the Moffitt team through the next generation of cancer treatments and discoveries.”
