Daniel C. DiMaio, MD, PhD, was presented with the Yale Cancer Center Lifetime Achievement Award by Dr. Eric Winer. Dr. DiMaio, the Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Genetics and Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and of Therapeutic Radiology, was recruited to Yale in 1983 by Dr. Sherman Weissman and Leon Rosenberg. He has served on the faculty and in leadership roles at Yale School of Medicine for nearly 40 years and as an advisor and mentor to countless students, graduate students, and faculty.
In 2020, Dr. DiMaio received an Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute for his studies of human papillomaviruses. Working with Drs. George Miller and Joan Steitz, Dr. DiMaio was the Principal Investigator of the longest running program project grant in Yale School of Medicine history. His leadership in the Cancer Center has helped to support and advise nine Yale Cancer Center directors.
Dr. Winer commented on Dr. DiMaio’s “amazing judgment, and direct, honest, and kind manner” in his presenting remarks. Dr. DiMaio accepted the award by recognizing many of the people who supported his career, including his wife Miriam DiMaio, and family, Sherman Weissman, George Miller, Joan Steitz, Don Engelman, Jan Zulkeski, his assistant for over 30 years, David Stern, Ed Snyder, Melinda Irwin, and Roy Herbst, along with the students, fellows, and staff he worked closely with throughout his career.