Arteaga Named Director of UT Southwestern Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center

Carlos Arteaga, MD

Carlos Arteaga, MD

Breast cancer expert Carlos Arteaga, MD, was recently named director of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Arteaga has been a member of the faculty at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center since 1989 and currently serves as associate director for clinical research, co-leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program, director of the Center for Cancer Targeted Therapies, the Donna S. Hall Chair in Breast Cancer, and professor of Cancer Biology and Medicine (hematology/oncology).

In his new role, beginning September 1, Arteaga will also serve as associate dean for the oncology program at UT Southwestern Medical School and will hold the Lisa K. Simmons Distinguished Chair in Comprehensive Oncology.

Arteaga has been an active member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) since 1989. He served as AACR president from 2014 to 2015 and is a Fellow of the AACR Academy. He also previously served as a co-chair of the 2017 AACR International Conference on Translational Cancer Medicine. AACR recently extended their congratulations to Arteaga in a statement.

“On behalf of the AACR, I wish to extend our sincere congratulations to past president Carlos Arteaga,” said Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), chief executive officer of the AACR. “Dr Arteaga is an esteemed expert in breast cancer research and his contributions to the field have had a major impact on the lives of patients. His scientific expertise, visionary leadership, and dedication to the translation of basic scientific knowledge to the clinic will be invaluable to UT Southwestern Medical Center as it works to achieve its mission and future goals.”

Arteaga is a member of several professional committees, including the Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award for Cancer Research Committee, the Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research Committee, and the Stand Up To Cancer Canada Scientific Advisory Committee. He is also an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians.

Additionally, he serves as scientific editor forCancer Discoveryand was previously a deputy editor ofClinical Cancer Research(2005-2013) and editorial board member forMolecular Cancer Therapeutics(2002-2012).

Arteaga’s research discoveries have helped deepen the understanding of the key molecular pathways involved in breast cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis. He was the first to report the role of IGF-1 receptors and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) in breast cancer and their use as therapeutic targets.

His most recent translational research efforts have focused on presurgical and neoadjuvant trials to discover biomarkers that inform patient selection in clinical trials and discover mechanisms of drug resistance.

While serving as AACR president, Arteaga initiated the NextGen Grants for Transformative Cancer Research, the AACR’s flagship funding opportunity for early-career investigators. The grants promote and support junior faculty conducting creative, paradigm-shifting cancer research that might not otherwise be funded through conventional sources.

Arteaga has received myriad honors and awards throughout his career, including the AACR-Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Award, the Prize for Scientific Excellence in Medicine from the American-Italian Cancer Foundation, the Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Basic Science from Susan G. Komen, the Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the Clinical Investigator Award from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.