Pier Paolo Pandolfi is an Italian

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

geneticist A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processe ...

molecular biologist Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

, and cancer researcher. Originally from Rome, Italy, Pandolfi studied medicine at the

University of Perugia University of Perugia (Italian ''Università degli Studi di Perugia'') is a public-owned university based in Perugia, Italy. It was founded in 1308, as attested by the Bull issued by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale. Th ...

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in central Italy, where he began his research into

acute promyelocytic leukemia Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML, APL) is a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer of the white blood cells. In APL, there is an abnormal accumulation of immature granulocytes called promyelocytes. The disease is characterized by a ...

. He received his MD in 1989, his Ph.D. in 1995, and did postgraduate work at the

Royal Postgraduate Medical School The Royal Postgraduate Medical School (RPMS) was an independent medical school, based primarily at Hammersmith Hospital in west London. In 1988, the school merged with the Institute of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and in 1997 became part of Imperial ...

. In 1994, Pandolfi moved his research to the

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a cancer treatment and research institution in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital. MSKCC is one of 52 National Cancer Institute– ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and joined the faculty of

Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences The Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences (WCGS) (formerly known as the Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences) is a graduate college of Cornell University that was founded in 1952 as an academic partnership between t ...

as a professor of molecular biology, pathology, and human genetics. Pandolfi eventually became the chair of cancer biology and genetics and the head of the molecular and developmental biology lab at Sloan-Kettering. Pandolfi left Sloan-Kettering in 2007 to become the director of

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, Massachusetts is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. It was formed out of the 1996 merger of Beth Israel Hospital (founded in 1916) and New England Deaconess Hospital (founded ...

(BIDMC)'s new cancer genetics program. While at BIDMC, Pandolfi was the George C. Reisman professor of medicine at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

and an associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University. He became the director of the BIDMC Cancer Center and Cancer Research Institute in 2013. Pandolfi received the Pezcoller Foundation-

American Association for Cancer Research The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's oldest and largest professional association related to cancer research. Based in Philadelphia, the AACR focuses on all aspects of cancer research, including basic, clinical, and t ...

International Award for Cancer Research in 2011 and was elected as an Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

in 2017 in recognition of his cancer research. Between fall 2018 and spring 2019, Pandofi pursued an inappropriate relationship with a

postdoctoral researcher A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...

. A Harvard internal investigation referred him to an external evaluation service that allowed him to return to work. In December 2019, Pandolfi resigned from Harvard. In May 2020, he became the director of the Institute of Cancer at

Renown Health Renown Health (formerly Washoe Health System) is the largest locally owned not-for-profit healthcare network in Northern Nevada. It has more than 6,500 employees system-wide and is one of Northern Nevada's largest employers. History Renown Health ...

, joined the faculty of the

Desert Research Institute Desert Research Institute (DRI) is the nonprofit research campus of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), the organization that oversees all publicly supported higher education in the U.S. state of Nevada. At DRI, approximately 460 rese ...

, and was announced as the scientific director of the Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) in Padua, Italy. The VIMM scientific advisory board resigned in protest because they had not been consulted before Pandolfi's appointment. The VIMM foundation reversed their decision to appoint Pandolfi in June 2020, and he resigned from his position at the Desert Research institute.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pandolfi, Pier Paolo Harvard Medical School faculty Cornell University faculty Italian geneticists University of Perugia alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people)