Dr. Daniel Von Hoff '69
1994 Distinguished Alumnus Award for Professional Achievement
Dr. Daniel Von Hoff '69 has been driven with a desire to beat cancer, and that flame
was lit at Carroll where he graduated cum laude with a degree in biology and chemistry.
Today he is recognized as one of the world’s leading cancer researchers cited as a
pioneer in the development of promising cancer drugs, including those for the treatment
of leukemia, breast cancer, lymphoma, prostate and pancreatic cancer. His major interest
is the development of anti-cancer agents to accelerate the development of cancer drugs.
Carroll was a special place for Dr. Von Hoff, as it was not only formative to the
early stages of his research career, but it was where he met his wife, Ann (Leighton)
Von Hoff '70. Von Hoff received his medical degree from the Columbia College of Physicians
and Surgeons in New York. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine
at the University of California, San Francisco, then completed a medical oncology
fellowship at the National Cancer Institute. Von Hoff then moved to the University
of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where he rose to Professor in the Department
of Medicine and the Department of Cellular and Structural Biology. In 1989, Dr. Von
Hoff became the Founding Director of the Institute for Drug Development at the Cancer
Therapy and Research Center in San Antonio. In 1999, he became Director of the Cancer
Center and Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona.
Dr. Von Hoff has served as editor of numerous scientific publications. He is founder
and Editor Emeritus of “Investigational New Drugs: The Journal of New Anticancer Agents”
as well as the founding and current Editor-in-Chief of “Molecular Cancer Therapeutics”.
Previously he was the associate editor of “Cancer Research” and “Clinical Cancer Research”.
Dr. Von Hoff runs a Phase I oncology clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he and his
team treat patients for whom other cancer treatments have been ineffective. Along
with a University of Pennsylvania colleague, Dan received an $18 million grant from
Stand Up to Cancer to support their pioneering work on pancreatic cancer. He co-founded
ILEX™ Oncology, Inc. (acquired by Genzyme). The ILEX team got two 2 new anti-cancer
agents approved by the FDA, including Clolar (clofarabine) for children with leukemia
and Campath (alemtuzumab) for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Campath
is also now included in trials for patients with multiple sclerosis.
He currently serves as Physician-in-Chief and Distinguished Professor of the Translational
Genomics Research Institute (Tgen); Professor of Medicine at both Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale
and the University of Arizona College of Medicine; and Chief Scientific Officer at
Scottsdale Healthcare and US Oncology and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University
of Arizona.
Von Hoff served a six-year term on President Bush's National Cancer Advisory Board
(June 2004 - March 2010) and served on the FDA’s Oncology Advisory Committee. He is
the past President of the American Association for Cancer Research (the largest cancer
research organization in the world), a Fellow of the American College of Physicians,
and a member and past board member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
