Executive Committee 

Lloyd J. Old, M.D., Co-Chair
Axel Hoos, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Chair
Neil Berinstein, M.D.
Lothar Finke, M.D.
Hyam Levitsky, M.D.
Jill O'Donnell-Tormey, Ph.D. 

Kunle Odunsi, M.D., Ph.D.
Gerd Ritter, Ph.D.
H.R. Shepherd, D.Sc.
Pramod Srivastava, M.D., Ph.D.
Kerry Wentworth
Jedd Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D. 
 

Lloyd J. Old, M.D., is chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Previously, he was director and chief executive officer of the Ludwig Institute. He has been associated with the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center since 1958, first as a research fellow. He was appointed associate director of research in 1973 of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases and was named the William E. Snee Chair of Cancer Immunology in 1983. Dr. Old has held numerous leadership positions at Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases including attending immunologist, acting associate director for research planning, and vice president and associate director for scientific development. He has also served as professor of biology and professor of immunology at Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences and as a foreign adjunct professor on the Faculty of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. He joined the Cancer Research Institute board in 1976 and has served as the director of CRI’s Scientific Advisory Council since 1971. Since 2001, Dr. Old has also served as director of the Cancer Research Institute/Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Cancer Vaccine Collaborative, the academic clinical investigation arm of the Cancer Vaccine Consortium. He is also editor-in-chief of the online journal Cancer Immunity, the official publication of the Academy of Cancer Immunology. Dr. Old is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, New York Academy of Sciences, Reticuloendothelial Society, Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Immunologists, National Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Cancer Immunology, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has also received honorary doctor of medicine degrees from Karolinska Institute, the University of Lausanne, and the University College London. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in biology and holds a medical degree from the University of California School of Medicine San Francisco. 

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Dr. Axel Hoos is medical lead in Immunology/Oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb, holding responsibility for the Ipilimumab (anti CTLA-4) monoclonal antibody program. Dr. Hoos also serves as co-chair of the Executive Committee of the Cancer Vaccine Consortium (CVC) of the New York-based Cancer Research Institute (CRI) and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Albert B. Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington D.C. In these capacities he is developing immunotherapies for life-threatening diseases and is spearheading innovative initiatives to foster the dialogue between regulatory, industry and academic stakeholders, and to improve scientific exchange and the drug development process. Previously, Dr. Hoos was senior director, clinical development at Antigenics Inc., a biotechnology company with focus on developing therapies for cancer and infectious diseases, where he was responsible for strategy and execution of clinical trials in all phases of product development. Dr. Hoos studied medicine at Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany and received his Ph.D. in molecular oncology for work in molecular biology and tumor immunology at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg. He trained in surgery with a focus on surgical oncology at the Technical University in Munich and further in surgery, molecular pathology and tumor immunology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

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Dr. Neil Berinstein is a professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto and the head of the Cancer Vaccine Program for Sanofi Pasteur. At Sanofi, he is responsible for the global research and development of therapeutic vaccines for cancer. Dr. Berinstein has had a distinguished career in the cancer immunotherapy field. After receiving his medical degree at the University of Manitoba and completing training programs in internal medicine and medical oncology at the University of Toronto, Dr. Berinstein worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University. He has an extensive publication record of  papers and book chapters on cancer biology and immunotherapy. He is particularly interested in integrating cancer vaccine approaches with strategies for immune modualtion.

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Lothar Finke, M.D., is head of Tranlational Medicine Biologics at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Dr. Finke has worked in biotech oncology development in the pharmaceutical industry since 1999, both in Europe and the United States. Additionally, he has years of clinical experience in surgical oncology and molecular and cell biology. Prior to joining Novartis, Dr. Finke was chief medical officer and vice president of regulatory affairs at Argos Therapeutics. Prior to Argos, Dr. Finke worked for a number of companies, including EMD Pharmaceuticals, Lexigen Pharmaceuticals and Merck KGaA. Academically, Dr. Finke worked at the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, the Basel Institute for Immunology, Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg and Philipps University, Marburg/Lahn, Germany. As part of his industry experience, he is trained and experienced in regulatory affairs, drug safety and clinical development relevant to Europe, the United States, Canada, and Japan. Dr. Finke received both his medical degree and cell biology doctorate from Philipps University of Marburg in Lahn, Germany. 

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Dr. Hyam Levitsky is professor of oncology, medicine & urology at The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Levitsky's laboratory research has focused on basic studies of antigen processing and presentation, T-cell co-stimulation, T-cell priming versus tolerance, and the evolution of tumor-specific immunity during immune reconstitution. He is a co-inventor of genetically modified GM-CSF secreting tumor cell vaccines (GVAX) now in phase III clinical trials for treatment of prostate cancer, and phase II trials for acute and chronic myeloid leukemia, multiple myeloma, and pancreas cancer. At Johns Hopkins, Dr. Levitsky is the Scientific Director of the George Santos Bone Marrow Transplant Program, and has been a pioneer in the integration of therapeutic cancer vaccines during immune reconstitution following high dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. He has served on the Board of Directors of Antigenics since 2006, and is currently on the Scientific Advisory Boards of Celldex, Dendrion, and Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Levitsky has received numerous awards for his research, including the Stohlman Scholars Award from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation of America, The Senior Research Award from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, Research Awards from the CapCURE Foundation, The American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of Health. In 2001, he was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Dr. Levitsky received his undergraduate education at the University of Pennsylvania, and his medical degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

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Dr. Jill O’Donnell-Tormey is executive director of the Cancer Research Institute. She first joined the organization in 1987 as the director of scientific affairs. Since her appointment in 1993 as executive director, she has been instrumental in increasing the Institute’s budget nearly three-fold. In 1993, she established the  CRI International Cancer Immunotherapy Symposium Series, which has been viewed as the most important annual meeting in the field of cancer immunology. She has played a key role in the development of the Institute’s Clinical Investigation Program, including the Cancer Vaccine Collaborative and the Coordinated Cancer Initiatives—two groundbreaking approaches to research that, for the first time, bring together the world’s leading cancer immunologists to work in collaboration toward common, centralized goals. She co-authored the Cancer Research Institute HelpBook: What To Do If Cancer Strikes and the highly regarded primer on the field of cancer immunology, Cancer and the Immune System: The Vital Connection. Prior to her leadership roles at the Cancer Research Institute, she served as an instructor in the Department of Medicine, Cornell University Medical College and as a research associate in the Department of Cellular Physiology and Immunology at The Rockefeller University. Dr. O’Donnell-Tormey serves on the Board of Directors of the Notre Dame Academy, Staten Island, NY. She is also on the board of the Zero - The Project to End Prostate Cancer (formerly the National Prostate Cancer Coalition). In 1998, she was named one of Irish America Magazine’s “Top 100” Irish Americans and in 2002 she received the Farleigh Dickinson University Pinnacle Award, the highest honor bestowed on its alumni. Dr. O’Donnell-Tormey was feted as a Notre Dame Academy Centennial Honoree in 2004. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry, summa cum laude, from Farleigh Dickinson University and a Doctor of Philosophy in Cell Biology from The State University of New York’s Downstate Medical Center.

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Dr. Kunle Odunsi is a professor and research program director in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Surgical Oncology and co-leader of the Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. He is also the director of the CRI/LICR Cancer Vaccine Collaborative’s United States operations. He is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society for Reproductive Immunology, Association of African Biomedical Scientists, Cooperative Ovarian Cancer Group for Immunotherapy, Gynecologic Oncology Group, Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, Society for Gynecologic Investigation, and the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists. Dr. Odunsi earned his medical degree from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, in 1984, and earned his Ph.D. at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, UK. Subsequently, he completed residency training in Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, and clinical fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at RPCI. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the United Kingdom. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Dr. Odunsi is licensed by New York State and certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is also board certified in the sub-specialty of Gynecologic Oncology. 

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Dr. Ritter is an associate member of the of Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, associate director of the New York Branch of Human Cancer Immunology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, assistant director of the Office of Clinical Trials Management at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and a member of the CRI/LICR Cancer Vaccine Collaborative Coordinating Committee. He has made many contributions to antibody-based and vaccine-based human cancer immunotherapy including human cancer antigen discovery and characterization, clinical cancer vaccine construction and development, procurement of clinical study reagents and immunological monitoring technologies. Dr. Ritter received his doctorate in human biology from the University of Marburg, Germany, trained as post-doctoral fellow in human cancer immunology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and has held faculty positions at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.

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Dr. Shepherd is the founding chairman of the  Sabin Vaccine Institute, and is a world-recognized expert on aerosol medications. He holds several patents on aerosol products and authored Aerosols: Science and Technology, the first definitive text on the potential of aerosol medications. Before starting the Sabin Vaccine Institute, Shepherd served as chairman and chief executive officer of Armstrong Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Dr. Shepherd began his career as a chemist at Bridgeport Brass after discharge from the United States Army after World War II. He was a founder and vice president in charge of research for Connecticut Chemical Research Corporation. Dr. Shepherd went on to found Armstrong Pharmaceuticals, then called Aerosol Techniques, Inc., in 1955 and spearheaded funding for the nation’s first research laboratory dedicated to aerosol pharmaceuticals at Columbia University’s College of Pharmacy. Under his leadership, Armstrong Pharmaceuticals went from a third party manufacturer to a full-fledged pharmaceutical drug delivery company which was acquired by Medeva PLC, an international pharmaceutical company. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in 1943. In 1973 he received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Villanova University for his contributions in exploring the frontier of technology and for his creation of Aerosol Techniques, Inc. In 2001, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from The George Washington University for his efforts in the treatment of asthma as well as in the field of immunology. Dr. Shepherd is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Presidents’ Circle and Einstein Society and headed its Library Outreach Program. He has been appointed adjunct professor in the Department of Microbiology and Tropical Medicine at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC.

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Dr. Pramod Srivastava is professor of immunology at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, where he is also director of the Center for Immunotherapy of Cancer and Infectious Diseases. He holds the Physicians Health Services Chair in Cancer Immunology at the University. Professor Srivastava is the scientific founder of Antigenics. He serves on the Scientific Advisory Council of the Cancer Research Institute and was a member of the Experimental Immunology Study Section of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Government (1994-1999). He serves presently on the Board of Directors of two privately held companies: Ikonisys (New Haven, Conn.) and CambriaTech (Lugano, Switzerland). In 1997, he was inducted into the Roll of Honor of the International Union Against Cancer and was listed in Who's Who in Science and Engineering. He is among the 20 founding members of the  Academy of Cancer Immunology. Dr. Pramod Srivastava obtained his bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry and a master's degree in botany (paleontology) from the University of Allahabad, India. He then studied yeast genetics at Osaka University, Japan. He completed his Ph.D. in biochemistry at the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India, where he began his work on tumor immunity, including identification of the first proteins that can mediate tumor rejection. He trained at Yale University and Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research. Dr. Srivastava has held faculty positions at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Fordham University in New York City.

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Ms. Kerry Wentworth is vice president, clinical operations and regulatory affairs at Antigenics Inc., a biotechnology company with a late-stage development focus on an autologous therapeutic cancer vaccine. In this capacity, she is responsible for the execution of all phases of clinical development and defining associated regulatory strategy. Ms. Wentworth has over twelve years of global regulatory experience supporting the development, global licensing and post-marketing activities associated with multiple drug and biological products. Prior to joining Antigenics in 2004, she worked for a number of biotechnology companies including Genelabs Technologies, Shaman Pharmaceuticals and Genzyme Corporation. As part of her professional experience, she has also been responsible for other key functional areas including quality assurance and clinical compliance. Ms. Wentworth received a BS in pre-veterinary medicine from the University of New Hampshire.

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Dr. Wolchok is assistant attending physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with expertise in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. He is also the co-director of the Swim Across America laboratory at MSKCC, one of the foremost immunotherapy and melanoma research groups in the country. His specific area research interest is the pre-clinical and early clinical development of novel immunologic therapies. Most recently, Dr. Wolchok has initiated several clinical trials using plasmid DNA vaccines for patients with melanoma. He has been involved in the development of the DNA vaccine program at every level--from initial studies in mouse models, through all levels of regulatory review and now as principal investigator of the clinical trials.  Dr. Wolchok has authored numerous articles concerning DNA vaccines, cytokine biology and clinical care of melanoma and co-authored two chapters in the definitive textbook, Cutaneous Melanoma. Dr. Wolchok is also co-editor of the journal Cytotherapy. Most recently, Dr. Wolchok was appointed to be associate director of the Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy at MSKCC.

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