Lymphoma expert joins City of Hope

Issue: April 25, 2015

Larry W. Kwak, MD, PhD, an acclaimed translational research scientist and physician, joined City of Hope as the director of the Toni Stephenson Lymphoma Center, part of the institution’s new Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Transplantation Institute.

Kwak also will serve in the dual leadership role of inaugural associate director for developmental therapeutics and translational research for City of Hope’s NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, and he will hold the title of Dr. Michael Friedman professor for translational medicine.

“Dr. Kwak’s remarkable expertise in translational research and hematologic malignancies make him a uniquely perfect fit for City of Hope,” Steven T. Rosen, MD, provost and chief scientific officer at City of Hope, said in a press release. “His ability to guide research breakthroughs from the lab to the clinic will help us break new ground in the treatment of a variety of cancers, including lymphoma and other blood and bone marrow diseases, and we’re extremely pleased to have him on board.”

Larry W. Kwak

Kwak is an expert in the clinical management of patients with low-grade lymphomas. He joined City of Hope from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he served as chairman of the department of lymphoma and myeloma, as well as co-director of the Center for Cancer Immunology Research.

He previously served as head of the Vaccine Biology Section, Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch, at NCI for 12 years.

“As a world leader in both translational research and the development of immune-based therapies, City of Hope is poised to further revolutionize the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other malignancies,” Kwak said in a press release. “I’m extremely pleased to join the esteemed physicians and researchers at City of Hope and working with them to develop new treatments for some of the most complex diseases of our day.”