04 FN: Patricia M. LoRusso

Patricia M. LoRusso, D.O., a leading expert on developing new cancer drugs through clinical trials, joined Yale Cancer Center in August as a professor of medicine and associate director of innovative medicine.

LoRusso brings more than 25 years of expertise in medical oncology, drug development, and early phase clinical trials. She has served in numerous leadership roles at Wayne State University’s Barbara Karmanos Cancer Institute, most recently as director of the Phase I Clinical Trials Program and of the Eisenberg Center for Experimental Therapeutics.

LoRusso was co-chair of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program Investigational Drug Steering Committee. She also served on the scientific committee of the American Association for Cancer Research, the education and scientific committees of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, numerous peer-reviewed study sections, and NCI committees. Among her awards are the 1999 Heroes of Breast Cancer Award; 2004 Bennett J. Cohen Educational Leadership Award for Medical Research, 2008 NCI Michaele C. Christian Oncology Development Lectureship and Award; the 2014 Targeted Anticancer Therapies Honorary Award; and the 2014 Michigan State University Distinguished Alumni Award. She was recently honored as one of the 2014 Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center’s “One Hundred” individuals and organizations recognized for their dedication in making a difference in the fight against cancer. LoRusso is a former editor of Investigational New Drugs, is currently on the editorial board for Clinical Cancer Research, and is a reviewer for several journals. She has authored more than 200 articles on cancer research in peer-reviewed journals, and written multiple book chapters.