New Lurie Cancer Center OncoSET Leadership Appointments

David VanderWeele, MD, PhD, an expert in the field of genome-based therapies and genitourinary cancer, has been appointed director of the Lurie Cancer Center OncoSET Precision Oncology Program, and Erica Vormittag-Nocito, MD, a specialist in molecular genetic pathology, has been named director of Cancer Molecular Diagnostics at the Lurie Cancer Center.

The OncoSET (Sequence, Evaluate, Treat) Program was launched in 2015 to take precision medicine to the next level, combining genomic sequencing and sophisticated molecular analysis to identify new, individually tailored treatments and clinical trials for patients whose cancers are resistant to traditional therapies. VanderWeele and Vormittag-Nocito will also serve as co-chairs of the Lurie Cancer Center OncoSET Molecular Tumor Board, a multidisciplinary team of physicians and scientists, including medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists, molecular pathologists, radiologists, and pharmacogenomics experts. 

VanderWeele, an associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology, specializes in the treatment of genitourinary cancers. His research efforts have focused on altering the course of potentially lethal GU cancers using targeted therapies. Vormittag-Nocito, an assistant professor of Pathology in the Division of Genomic Pathology, is also director of the Thorson Goodall Diagnostic Molecular Biology Laboratory at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Her research interests include cancer genetics and development of new molecular diagnostic assays.

“David and Erica’s knowledge and expertise will build on the progress we’ve made and ensure that more can patients benefit from these cutting-edge advances in science and technology,” said Leonidas Platanias, MD, PhD, director of the Lurie Cancer Center. “We are grateful to Massimo Cristofanilli, MD, and Ahmir Behdad, MD, for their contributions and commitment to OncoSET, and wish them the best in their new roles.”