Russel E. Kaufman, M.D.

President and CEO
215-898-3926, Phone
215-573-2097, Fax
kaufman@wistar.org

Russel E. Kaufman, M.D., became the seventh president and CEO of The Wistar Institute in June 2002. In addition to his administrative duties, Dr. Kaufman also maintains an active research program at the Institute, investigating the genetics of blood diseases and cancer. (Please click here for a summary of Dr. Kaufman's research.)

Prior to his arrival at The Wistar Institute, Kaufman was vice dean for education and academic affairs for the Duke University School of Medicine and associate vice chancellor for academic affairs for the Duke University Health System. He was a professor of medicine and biochemistry at Duke.

With long-standing interests in both basic and applied cancer research, Kaufman has served as a scientific advisor in these areas to the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, and a number of other organizations. He has received awards for his work from the March of Dimes, the Arthritis Foundation, and others. He was named a Scholar of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America, one of that organization's most prestigious awards. He was also tapped as one of the first Searle Scholars. The Searle Scholars Program supports top-flight academic research in biomedicine and chemistry.

Kaufman has extensive experience in national leadership roles in research and medical organizations. He served as president of the Association of Subspecialty Professors and chair of the Association of Hematology and Oncology Program Directors. He has been active in many internal medicine organizations, including the American Board of Internal Medicine and the Federated Council of Internal Medicine. He has served on several taskforces at the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Currently, Dr. Kaufman serves on the boards of the University of the Arts, Osage Venture Partners, and the Pharmaceutical Safety Institute. He is also board chairman for BioAdvance, the Biotechnology Greenhouse of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and he chairs the American Cancer Society’s Council for Extramural Grants, a committee of senior scientists that recommends funding levels for cancer research proposals submitted to the society.

At Ohio State University, Kaufman majored in zoology and biochemistry, graduating with a B.S. in 1968. He attended Ohio State University's College of Medicine and was awarded his M.D. in 1973, after which he moved to Duke University Medical Center for his medical residency, beginning a long affiliation with Duke, as a clinician, researcher, and administrator.

At Duke, he led a restructuring of its clinical research infrastructure, which has been acknowledged as a national model. He is often called upon by national organizations to participate in discussions concerning human-subject protections in clinical trials and the need for appropriate balances between academic and commercial interests to maintain the integrity of the research process.