Dr. Michael Caligiuri, director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology and professor in the Division of Human Cancer Genetics, will take over as director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center on July 1.

The OSUCCC is one of 39 institutions designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. It is made up of seven programs led by faculty members from various areas of the university. Each program focuses on a specific area of research including cancer prevention, cancer control and experimental therapeutics.

As director, Caligiuri is responsible for ensuring the programs continue to progress in their research.

“The vision is to increase the fraction of patients who are cured of cancer by increasing the number of innovative therapies offered here at the university,” Caligiuri said.

Cancer prevention and experimental therapeutics will be the focus of the OSUCCC, Caligiuri said.

“I think that what you will see at the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute are highly innovative, molecular targeted therapies for the most challenging cancers that are out there,” he said. “You will see outstanding research to develop those therapies here at Ohio State University.”

In addition to his role as director, Caligiuri will remain actively involved in research. His personal work is in the immune system and leukemia. His laboratory has been responsible for the identification of genetic defects involved with leukemia, curing patients who show signs of lymphoma following an organ transplantation, and understanding the biology of human, natural killer cells used to fight virus infection in cancer.

Dr. David Schuller, executive director of The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, helped recruit Caligiuri.

“At the time he was one of the most outstanding young researchers in the country, and he has matured into one of the most outstanding researchers in the country,” Schuller said.

Schuller serves as deputy director of the OSUCCC and will be collaborating with Caligiuri in a shared leadership model.

“We have a very definite vision, and that is to make a difference in this disease for all Ohioans and beyond,” Schuller said.

Caligiuri was attracted to OSU because of the resources provided and the chance to build a cancer program with people he considers to be the finest in the world.

“Opportunities are inversely proportional to what’s in place,” he said. “If you are starting out at some of the nation’s finest institutions, the opportunity for a new person to come in and really set up, develop and excel is extremely limited because there are so many, many people waiting to take your place.”

A transition in leadership in the OSUCCC has been discussed for more than a year, but Caligiuri was not officially offered the position until February. The current director, Dr. Clara Bloomfield, will step down in order to focus on her research. Bloomfield is the charter member of the OSU Cancer Scholars Program, which is designed to retain and recruit researchers by providing funding and resources.

Bloomfield was out of the country and could not be reached for comment.

Caligiuri came to OSU in 1997. He received his graduate and medical degrees from Stanford University School of Medicine. He has served as an instructor of medicine at Harvard University and assistant professor of medicine at the Rosewell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo.

His greatest accomplishment is having more than 65 students train to become assistant, associate and full professors around the country and the world.

“The most important contribution I’ve made is being able to participate in the education of the next generation of outstanding cancer physicians and scientists,” he said. “No question about it.”