Overview
Harold Varmus, M.D., co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for studies of the genetic basis of cancer, joined the Meyer Cancer Center of Weill Cornell Medicine as the Lewis Thomas University Professor of Medicine on April 1, 2015. Prior to joining Meyer Cancer Center, Dr. Varmus was the Director of the National Cancer Institute for five years. He was also the President of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for 10 years and Director of the National Institutes of Health for six years. A graduate of Amherst College and Harvard University in English literature and Columbia University in Medicine, he trained at Columbia University Medical Center, the National Institutes of Health, and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), before becoming a member of the UCSF basic science faculty for over two decades. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine and is involved in several initiatives to promote science and health in developing countries. The author of over 350 scientific papers and five books, including a recent memoir titled The Art and Politics of Science, he was a co-chair of President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a co-founder and Chairman of the Board of the Public Library of Science, and chair of the Scientific Board of the Gates Foundation Grand Challenges in Global Health.
Highlights
- 1Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2024
- 2Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024
- 3
Publications
447 publications
Funding
16 grantsView NIH portfolio on RePORTER ↗
Completed grants (16)
- PIU01CA224326-05Studies of the initiation and progression of small cell lung cancer using cells derived by differentiation from human pluripotent stem cellsNational Cancer Institute · 2018–2025· 2 renewals
- KPP50CA211024-05Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) SPORE in Prostate CancerNational Cancer Institute · 2017–2023
- PIAddgene 704897Addgene 704897Addgene, Inc. · 2022–2023
- KPDRG 2344-18Interrogating Lung Adenocarcinoma Transformation to Small Cell Lung Cancer at Single Cell ResolutionDamon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation · 2018–2022Fellowship
- MPI18-18Seeking and Evaluating Novel Therapeutic Targets in Human Lung Adenocarcinomas with Loss-of-Function Mutations in LKB1Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation · 2018–2022
- KPK99CA226353-01A1Investigation of sub-lineages in pulmonary neuroendocrine cells and identification of the cells of origin of small cell lung cancerNational Cancer Institute · 2019–2020
- PIDRG 2017The Roles of Mutant U2AF1 in the Initiation and Maintenance of MDSEdward P. Evans Foundation · 2018–2019
- PIW81XWH-17-1-0223Using HESC-Derived Lung Cells to Study the Initiation of Small Cell Lung CancerU.S. Department of Defense · 2017–2019
- PIDRG 2017The Roles of Mutant U2AF1 in the Initiation and Maintenance of MDS2Edward P. Evans Foundation · 2017–2018
- KPAMBF 180582-03Identify Synthetic Lethality Targeting APC - or KRAS - Mutations in Organotypic Human Colorectal Cancer ModelsArnold & Mabel Beckman Foundation · 2016–2018
- MPIP01CA094060-07Mouse Models for Tumor Progression and MaintenanceNCI · 2008–2013 · via NIH RePORTER
- PIR01CA120247-03Mutant EGF Receptor-Dependent Lung Cancer in Human Cell Lines and Transgenic MiceNCI · 2006–2010 · via NIH RePORTER
- MPIU01CA105492-05Tumor maintenance and development in mouse modelsNCI · 2004–2009 · via NIH RePORTER
Honors & distinctions
6 honors
- National Medal of Science · National Science Foundation · 2001
- Member · National Academy of Medicine · 1991
- Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine · Nobel Foundation · 1989
- Fellow · American Academy of Arts and Sciences · 1988
- Member · National Academy of Sciences · 1984
- Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award · Lasker Foundation · 1982
Available technologies
1 technologyView full WCM portfolio ↗
News mentions
2 mentionsView all WCM news ↗
- How One Type of Lung Cancer Can Transform into AnotherFebruary 8, 2024
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have uncovered steps that lead to lung tumors called adenocarcinoma turning into a much more aggressive small cell lung cancer that spreads rapidly and has few options for treatment. This problematic process is sometimes seen when patients stop responding to initially effective treatments. The findings advance the understanding of how mutated genes can trigger cancer evolution and suggest targets for more effective treatments.
- Awards and Honors Across Weill Cornell Medicine - March 31, 2021March 31, 2021
Awards, honors, prizes and achievements for the month of March.