SITC Smalley Award 2009 Recipient

Isaiah J. Fidler, DVM, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Isaiah Fidler, a native of Jerusalem, Israel, earned his veterinary medicine degree in 1963 from Oklahoma State University, and his doctorate in human pathology from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1970. After serving as an Assistant and then Associate Professor of Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Fidler was named head of the Biology of Metastasis Section at the National Cancer Institute's Frederick Cancer Research Facility in Maryland in 1975. Four years later, he was appointed Director of the Cancer Metastasis and Treatment Laboratory. In 1983, Dr. Fidler joined the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Cell Biology and Director of the Program of Interferon Research; and in 1998, he was named Director of the Cancer Metastasis Research Center. In June, 2008, Dr. Fidler retired as Department Chair, but continues as Director of the CMRC.

Research in Dr. Fidler's laboratory continues to primarily focus on the biology and therapy of cancer metastasis. Additionally, recent laboratory work has included the study of angiogenesis and the development and progression of brain metastasis.

Dr. Fidler is the past President of the American Association for Cancer Research, the past President of the International Society of Differentiation, and he holds memberships in numerous professional organizations. He is the Founding Editor of Cancer and Metastasis Reviews and serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals. He has authored or co-authored more than 794 scientific publications. Throughout his career, Dr. Fidler has been honored and recognized for his pioneering work in the field of metastasis, receiving numerous awards from national and international organizations. He is considered the premier expert in the field of cancer metastasis research.

Dr. Isaiah J. Fidler is the R. E. "Bob" Smith Distinguished Chair in Cell Biology, Professor, Department of Cancer Biology and Department of Urology, and Director, Cancer Metastasis Research Center, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, Texas.

(Biography as of November 2009)