Tumor virus expert will direct research at Cancer Center

Daniel C. DiMaio, M.D., Ph.D., the Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor and vice chair of genetics and professor of therapeutic radiology, has been named scientific director of Yale Cancer Center (YCC). In this new role, DiMaio will broadly oversee all basic science research at the YCC.

As director of the YCC’s Molecular Virology Program since 1993, DiMaio has guided collaborations among 17 independent but interactive laboratories with a common interest in cancer. His own laboratory is focused on papillomaviruses, an important cause of human cancers, particularly in women. DiMaio’s research group has explored how these viruses control cell growth and proliferation, revealing potential new drug targets for cancer, and is using the viruses as novel research tools to manipulate the behavior of normal cells.

After graduating summa cum laude from Yale College in 1974, DiMaio earned his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

In announcing DiMaio’s appointment, YCC Director and Professor of Dermatology Richard L. Edelson, M.D., said, “Dan brings a wide range of experience to this senior leadership role, which is critical to YCC’s efforts to successfully expand our research initiatives. In addition to his own internationally recognized scientific accomplishments, he has shaped our Molecular Virology Program into one which serves as a superb example of first-rate interactive science.”