Kevin Haigis to become Chief Research Officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Kevin Haigis, PhD, has been named Chief Research Officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In this newly created position, he will oversee the operation of Dana-Farber’s research program and assist in planning and implementing the overall scientific strategy. He will work in collaboration with the chief scientific officer and the chief clinical research officer to set the direction of Dana-Farber’s scientific mission.

Haigis is currently Director of Cancer Genetics at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Kevin’s research is focused on identifying the molecular mechanisms underlying the oncogenicity of members of the Ras protein family in gastrointestinal cancers. 

Prior to joining Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, he was an Associate Professor of Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital. He earned his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the University of New Hampshire and his PhD in Genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kevin completed his postdoctoral training in cancer biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a fellow of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and recipient of the Howard Temin Award from the National Cancer Institute.

“We have set our sights high for the future of Dana-Farber as our research discoveries and innovation have the power to help those with cancer around the world. I am thrilled that Kevin is bringing his experience and collaborative approach to Dana-Farber and he will be an important part of our research enterprise,” said Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, president and CEO, Dana-Farber.

“I am delighted to join Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as the Chief Research Officer. The investigators at Dana-Farber are world class researchers covering all aspects of basic and clinical cancer research and I am honored and excited to join them in their goal of eradicating cancer,” said Haigis.

Haigis will work closely with William C. Hahn, MD, PhD, who was recently named Chief Scientific Officer at Dana-Farber. Prior to being named Chief Scientific Officer, Hahn was chief research strategy officer, deputy chief scientific officer, and chair of the Executive Committee for Research.