With his formal installation as the inaugural Dr. Cyrus Katzen Family Director of the George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center, Eduardo M. Sotomayor, MD, joined an elite group of endowed professors, chairs, and directors throughout the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
“I am truly honored and humbled to serve as the inaugural Dr. Cyrus Katzen Family Director,” Sotomayor said. The recognition, he added, “is an acknowledgement of the many people who influenced and guided me along an exciting journey that took a boy from a small town along the coast of Peru to America, the greatest country, which adopted me and allowed me to fulfill my personal and professional dreams.”
Sotomayor, a research leader in the study of immunotherapy of B-cell malignancies, came to GW just four years ago to serve as the director of the GW Cancer Center. In those years, Sotomayor has unified GW’s cancer research and clinical care, by advancing research innovation, personalizing cancer care, and supporting cancer policy development. His overarching goal for the GW Cancer Center is to earn designation as a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center.
“We’re here to continue to build upon the important legacy my father, Dr. Cy Katzen, has established here at GW and in the Washington, D.C., region in the area of cancer research and patient-related cancer care,” said Jay Katzen, MD ’72, BA ’67. The two-time GW alumnus and director of the Cyrus Katzen Foundation recalled his family’s extensive ties to GW.
The Katzen family’s support over the past two decades has been critical to cancer care at GW and in Washington, D.C. In 2008, Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen made a $10 million gift to establish The Dr. Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen Cancer Research Center.
The directorship will support basic science and translational research, new treatment protocols, academic needs for medical students and clinicians, honoraria for visiting scholars, pilot research grants for residents and fellows, and equipment needs.
