Kenneth A. Foon, M.D.
Chair, Department of Hematologic Malignancies
Acting Director of the Phase I Clinical Trials Program
Dr. Foon received his B.S. and M.D. degrees from Wayne State University. He was an intern in Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and then spent three years at the National Institutes of Heath as a U.S. Public Health Service officer in a basic immunology laboratory. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Georgetown University/Washington, VA, and trained in Hematology and Oncology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is board certified in Hematology and Medical Oncology.
Dr. Foon was previously at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute where he served as Deputy Director for Clinical Investigations, and Co-Director of the Biological Therapeutics and Hematological Malignancy Programs. He also was Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Pittsburgh, Medical School.
Prior to his tenure at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Dr. Foon was Director, Clinical Development for Oncology for Abgenix, Inc., in Fremont, California, and Clinical Professor of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology at Stanford University Medical School. Past positions have included Professor of Medicine and Director of the Barrett Cancer Center at the University of Cincinnati; Professor of Medicine and Director of the Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky; Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Clinical Immunology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute; andAssociate member of the Scripps Research Institute and Clinical Director of the Green Cancer Center at the Scripps Hospital. Prior to that, he served as aSeniorInvestigator andHead of the Clinical Investigations Section of the Biological Response Modifiers Program at the National Cancer Institute.
Dr. Foon is the author and co-author of more than 325 peer-reviewed scientific publications, book chapters and invited scientific publications and over 180 scientific abstracts.
Dr. Foon has focused his career on immunologic/biologic approaches to cancer therapy, predominantly leukemia and lymphoma. He is the co-inventor of five cancer vaccines and holds four US patents for these vaccines. He is particularly interested in combining monoclonal antibodies with chemotherapy agents to enhance the effect of these agents but also to reduce the doses of chemotherapy drugs in order to decrease toxicity.
Dr. Foon is a member of numerous professional societies, including the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology and the International Society of Biological Therapy. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Foon is anAssociate Editor for Clinical Cancer Research, is on the editorial boards of Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals and Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy.
Dr. Foon is also on the scientific advisory boards of Supergen Inc., Spectrum Inc., Eisai Pharmaceutical Inc.
Dr. Foon recently published a major review in the journal Blood (F E Craig and K A Foon, Flow cytometric immunophenotyping for hematologic neoplasms Blood 2008;111:3941-3967) in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (KA Foon et al; Chemoimunotherapy with low dose fludarabine and cyclophosphamide and high dose rituximab FCR-Lite in previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia).J Clin Oncol 2009;27:498-503) and a review in Leukemia (KA Foon and MJ Hallek; Changing paradigms in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Leukemia 2010;24:500-511).
