Dr. Dietmar Siemann named Associate Director for Cancer Education and Research Career Enhancement

The University of Florida Health Cancer Center is pleased to announce that Dietmar Siemann, Ph.D., has been appointed the center’s associate director for cancer education and research career enhancement. 

In this role, Dr. Siemann will be responsible for overseeing the center-wide effort to promote interdisciplinary education and training activities for individuals committed to cancer investigation. He will also work with the Clinical and Translational Science Institute to integrate UFHCC programs with the CTSI translational workforce development program for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, as well as explore joint educational opportunities in oncology with other UF Health colleges.

“Dr. Siemann is an accomplished tumor biologist who has dedicated a large part of his efforts to education and training,” said Jonathan Licht, M.D., director of the UF Health Cancer Center. “In this ever more complex research environment, his experience will be essential as we guide a new cadre of clinical and basic scientists to successful research careers.”

Dr. Siemann’s position is one of several new leadership roles being added to the UF Health Cancer Center roster. The revamped leadership team and Dr. Licht will work with clinical, population science and laboratory-based faculty and staff to develop and implement new and innovative strategies for the treatment and prevention of cancer. These leadership positions are critical in aligning the UFHCC with the center structure required for NCI designation.

“I am honored to lead our cancer biology educational efforts and excited to develop educational opportunities for young cancer investigators and other cancer professionals who wish to further their careers in cancer research,” said Dr. Siemann. “I am eager to help enrich our educational experience in oncology at all levels of training and look forward to being part of this important work.”

For more than 22 years, Dr. Siemann has served as an educator and researcher in the UF College of Medicine, studying novel experimental approaches and treatment strategies that will ultimately lead to improved cancer patient care. His primary research areas include the tumor microenvironment and its role in treatment resistance, the characterization and evaluation of cancer stem cells and the development of novel treatment approaches to inhibit the spread of cancer cells. 

Dr. Siemann received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in medical biophysics from the University of Toronto; he completed his cancer biology postdoc at the University of Rochester in 1978. He pursued a career there for 16 years, becoming a professor and associate chair for research in the department of radiation oncology and leading the University of Rochester Cancer Center’s tumor biology division. In 1995, he joined the UF faculty and has since served as a professor and associate chair for research in the department of radiation oncology, as well as a professor in the department of pharmacology and therapeutics. 

In 1998, Dr. Siemann was named John P. Cofrin Professor for Cancer Research. He led the UFHCC Experimental Therapeutics Program for a decade, and currently serves as co-director of the Cancer Biology Concentration in the College of Medicine’s Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences. The Cancer Biology Concentration spans many disciplines to provide training opportunities in basic and translational cancer research to the next generation of cancer biologists. Dr. Siemann has mentored 34 doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in projects focused on research at the lab-clinic interface. 

As an independent investigator, Dr. Siemann has held continuous funding from the NIH/NCI since 1980; he has served as principal investigator on various R01 and P01 grants. He was a permanent member and chair of the NIH Radiation Study Section and continues to be involved in study sections, program project grant reviews and cancer center site visits. 

Dr. Siemann has published more than 215 peer-reviewed research articles, 30 book chapters and two oncology books. His research productivity has been recognized with the 18th Research Award of the Radiation Research Society, the UF College of Medicine Basic Science Research Award and two UF Research Foundation Professorships.

For the past 25 years, he has coordinated biennial international conferences on the tumor microenvironment for basic and clinical scientists to spread information about new cancer treatment approaches. He is a member of a number of professional societies, including the Radiation Research Society, the American Association for Cancer Research and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Siemann as he steps into his new role as associate director for cancer education and research career enhancement of the University of Florida Health Cancer Center.

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