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Perry Nisen, MD, PhD, was named CEO of the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, CA, replacing interim CEO Kristiina Vuori, MD, PhD, effective September 15. Nisen previously worked as senior vice president of science and innovation at GlaxoSmithKline. Prior to that, he was a professor of neuro-oncology at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. In his new role, Nisen will oversee the execution of Sanford-Burnham's strategic vision to more quickly translate basic research discoveries into novel treatments for a variety of conditions.

George J. Weiner, MD, will begin a 2-year term as the president of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) at the organization's annual meeting in late October. The AACI represents 95 academic and freestanding U.S. cancer research centers and supports their efforts to eradicate cancer. Weiner directs the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa and is a faculty member in the university's Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Immunology. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of action of anticancer monoclonal antibodies and the development of immunotherapies for lymphoma.

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) bestowed its ESMO Award upon Carsten Bokemeyer, MD, at its annual meeting in September in Madrid, Spain, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to medical oncology. The director of Germany's University Cancer Center Hamburg, Bokemeyer is a world leader in the pathogenesis and biology of malignant germ cell tumors.

For more news on cancer research, visit Cancer Discovery online at http://CDnews.aacrjournals.org.