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Biographies - National Cancer Institute
Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D.
Director
National Cancer Institute
Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., is the 12th Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since its creation in 1937. A nationally recognized urologic surgeon, Dr. von Eschenbach's distinguished career as a key leader in the fight against cancer spans nearly three decades.
Prior to accepting the appointment to lead the NCI in January 2002, Dr. von Eschenbach served as Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, leading a faculty of nearly 1,000 cancer researchers and clinicians. At M. D. Anderson he also served as Vice President for Academic Affairs and held the distinguished Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Clinical Research Distinguished Chair in Urologic Oncology.
Dr. von Eschenbach, as founding director of the Prostate Cancer Research Program, was instrumental in fostering integrated research programs in the biology, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of prostate cancer at M. D. Anderson. He also directed the Genitourinary Cancer Center there. Dr. von Eschenbach joined M. D. Anderson as a urologic oncology fellow in 1976 and was invited to join the faculty a year later. Just six years later - in 1983 - he was named chairman of the Department of Urology. Other positions held at M. D. Anderson include Consulting Professor of Cell Biology and Professor of Urology.
Dr. von Eschenbach, himself a cancer survivor, has had an impact on the fight against cancer that extends beyond the clinical and academic communities. He is a founding member of C-Change and was president-elect of the American Cancer Society at the time of his appointment to the NCI. In addition, he has made significant contributions to the scientific literature - more than 200 articles, books, and book chapters. Dr. von Eschenbach has also served as an editorial board member of several leading journals and on several organizational boards.
Many influential organizations have recognized Dr. von Eschenbach for his leadership and accomplishments, among them the American Medical Writers Association, the American Urological Association, and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. Dr. von Eschenbach has also been included in "The Best Doctors in America" publications, received the Medical Award of Excellence from Cancer Counseling, the Achievement Awards from the 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston and Partners in Courage for his significant contributions to prostate cancer programs, and the Julie Rogers "Spirit of Love" Award for demonstrating unparalleled dedication, commitment, and spirit in the fight against cancer.
A native of Philadelphia, Dr. von Eschenbach earned a B.S. from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia in 1963 and his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1967. Dr. von Eschenbach completed residencies in general surgery and urology at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia and then was an instructor in urology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He also served as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps.
Anna D. Barker, Ph.D.
Deputy Director, Advanced Technologies and Strategic Partnerships
National Cancer Institute
Dr. Barker serves as the Deputy Director for Advanced Technologies and Strategic Partnerships of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). In this role she plans and coordinates the implementation of integrative, multi-disciplinary and multi-sector programs to accelerate the development and translation of new knowledge and advanced technologies into effective interventions to prevent, detect and treat cancer. Under her leadership, the NCI has recently launched programs in bioinformatics and nanotechnology and is currently developing initiatives in proteomics and biospecimens to enable cancer research. Dr. Barker completed her Ph.D. at the Ohio State University, where she trained in immunology and microbiology. Her research interests include experimental therapeutics, tumor immunology, and free-radical biochemistry in cancer etiology, prevention and treatment.
Dr. Barker has a long history in research and the leadership and management of research and development, technology transfer and product commercialization in the non-profit and private sectors. Prior to entering the biotechnology sector, she was a senior executive at Battelle Memorial Institute for 18 years where she developed and led a large group of scientists and technical staff working in areas such as drug discovery and development, pharmacology and biotechnology, including several NCI sponsored research programs. In the private sector she co-founded and served as the CEO of a public biotechnology company, focused in therapeutics discovery and development; and subsequently founded and served as the CEO of a private company dedicated to the transfer and deployment of technologies to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.
She is a member of the Steering Committee of C-Change and Chairperson of the C-Change Cancer Research Team. She is a member of the DOD Breast Cancer Research Program Integration Panel, and a past chairperson of the BCRP Integration Panel. Dr. Barker has served in several capacities for the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), including the Board of Directors and chairperson of the Public Science Policy and Legislative Affairs Committee; and the NCI, including membership on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the Division of Cancer Etiology and chairperson of the Cancer Center Support Review Study Section. Dr. Barker has received a number of awards for her contributions to research, cancer patients, professional and advocacy organizations and the ongoing national effort to prevent and cure cancer, including a named fellowship from the AACR.
Gregory J. Downing, D.O., Ph.D.
Director, Office of Technology and Industrial Relations
Office of the Director, National Cancer Institute
Dr. Downing is Director of the Office of Technology and Industrial Relations (OTIR) in the Office of the Director at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health. In this role, he facilitates the collaboration among Federal, academic, and private biomedical research sectors to support technology development that will yield innovative diagnostic, detection, and targeted treatment strategies for cancer. Through the OTIR, he supervises the administration of grants and contracts for programs in nanotechnology, biosensors, therapeutic delivery systems, and new technology platforms and imaging systems. He currently serves on several committees, including the NCI-FDA Interagency Oncology Task Force and the Biomedical Information Science and Technology Consortium.
Dr. Downing began his career at the NIH in 1994 as a fellow at the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, and subsequently served in the Office of Science Policy and Planning as a health science policy analyst and deputy director. Today, he continues to lead the implementation of training and programs that support the research policy goals of the NIH.
Dr. Downing earned his medical degree from Michigan State University and his Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Kansas. He completed his residency in pediatrics and fellowship in neonatology before joining the faculty of the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the Department of Neonatology at The Children’s Mercy Hospital.
Dr. Downing is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in pediatrics and neonatology— perinatal medicine. He sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Maternal-Fetal Investigation and is Associate Editor of Disease Biomarkers. He has published numerous articles and research in the fields of pharmacology and medicine and has contributed to three books.
Scott E. McNeil, Ph.D.
Director, Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory
National Cancer Institute
Dr. McNeil serves as Director, Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory for the National Cancer Institute at Frederick where he coordinates pre-clinical characterization of nanomaterials intended for cancer therapeutics and diagnostics. Prior to joining NCI-Frederick (i.e. SAIC-Frederick), he served for three years as Senior Scientist in the Nanotech Initiatives Division at SAIC where he transitioned basic nanotechnology research to government and commercial markets. He advises Industry and State and US Governments on the development of nanotechnology and is a member of several governmental and industrial working groups related to nanotechnology policy, standardization and commercialization. Dr. McNeil's professional career includes tenure as an Army Officer, with tours as Chief of Biochemistry at Tripler Army Medical Center, as a Combat Arms officer in the Gulf War. He is an invited speaker to numerous nanotechnology-related conferences and has six patents pending related to nanotechnology and biotechnology. He received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Portland State University and his doctorate in cell biology from Oregon Health Sciences University.
Piotr Grodzinski, Ph.D.
Director, Nanotechnology for Cancer Programs
NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer
Dr. Piotr Grodzinski is a Director of Nanotechnology for Cancer programs at Nanotechnology Alliance of National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. He is an internationally recognized authority in the areas of bio- and nano-chip assays and microfluidics. Prior to joining NCI, he was with the Bioscience Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory where he served as a Group Leader and an interim Chief Scientist for DOE Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT). He also held research management positions at Motorola where he directed the Microfluidics Laboratory at Physical Sciences Research Laboratories in Tempe, AZ. His work there focused on the development of self-contained microfluidic cartridges for sample-to-answer genetic assays with an integrated sample preparation, on-chip fluid transport, and detection using DNA hybridization sensors.
Dr. Grodzinski received a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles in 1992. He has 12 patents awarded and 10 disclosures pending. He co-authored over 100 technical publications and conference presentations. Dr. Grodzinski has been an invited speaker and served on the committees of numerous bio- and nano-MEMS conferences in the past years.
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