Steven R. Patierno, PhD

Steven R. Patierno, PhD, serves as the Charles D. Watts Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine, and as Deputy Director of the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI). He earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Connecticut, a PhD in molecular pharmacology from the Graduate School of Biomedical Science, University of Texas Health Science Center-MD Anderson Cancer Institute in Houston, Texas, and did postdoctoral training at the University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in molecular oncology and carcinogenesis. 

He was the Vivian Gill Distinguished Professor of Oncology and Professor of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Urology at the GWU School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He served as Executive Director of The George Washington University Cancer Center for ten years prior to moving to Duke in 2012. Dr. Patierno’s translational research laboratory has been funded continuously for more than 30 years. He is internationally recognized for research on molecular oncology, the genomics of cancer disparities, and for his pioneering work addressing the multi-level drivers of cancer disparities, including innovative healthcare delivery interventions. He received the AACR 2019 Distinguished Cancer Disparities Research Award, was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Institute, by Duke University for his extensive work in cancer health equity, and by numerous organizations for impactful community engagement.