New Leadership Appointments

The Lurie Cancer Center is pleased to announce several new leadership appointments, effective April 1, 2021.

“I look forward to working with these new leaders to continue advancing our innovative clinical research and educational programs,” said Leonidas Platanias, MD, PhD, director of the Lurie Cancer Center.

	Associate Director for Education and Training Marcelo Bonini, PhD Marcelo Bonini, PhD, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, has been appointed Associate Director for Education and Training at the Lurie Cancer Center. In this role, he will oversee and coordinate Lurie Cancer Center’s education and training activities, including regional and national events, across a wide range of disciplines for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, clinicians and under-represented students. Dr. Bonini’s research is supported by NIH grant funding, and focuses on determining how changes in the nucleus regulate gene expression patterns in cancer cells and macrophages.
	Director of the Clinical Trials Office Devalingam Mahalingam, MBBChBAO Devalingam Mahalingam, MBBChBAO, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, has been appointed Director of the Clinical Trials Office (CTO) at the Lurie Cancer Center. The CTO serves as a centralized resource to facilitate the development, conduct, quality assurance monitoring, compliance with regulatory agency requirements and evaluation of the Lurie Cancer Center’s clinical trials. Dr. Mahalingam’s primary focus is on clinical research in early drug development, with a focus on gastrointestinal malignancies.
	Co-Chair of the Scientific Review Committee Priya Kumthekar, MD Priya Kumthekar, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology in the Division of Neuro-oncology, has been appointed Co-Chair of the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) of the Protocol Review and Monitoring System (PRMS) at the Lurie Cancer Center.  In collaboration with SRC Chair, Al B. Benson III, MD, she will evaluate all new and ongoing clinical trials for scientific merit, institutional priority and ongoing progress. A leader in the research and treatment of primary brain tumors, Dr. Kumthekar is the principal investigator of several Lurie Cancer Center-initiated clinical trials, including the landmark early-stage trial using novel spherical nucleic acids to target glioblastoma.