New provost, executive vice president arrives from Dartmouth

MD Anderson welcomed Ethan Dmitrovsky, M.D., in July as new provost and executive vice president. He arrived from Dartmouth University’s Geisel School of Medicine, where he was chair of Pharmacology and Toxicology for 12 years. He’s best known among cancer scientists for his research on retinoid pathways and his work at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), where he chaired the Board of Scientific Counselors–Clinical Sciences and Epidemiology and an external steering panel for its PREVENT Cancer Preclinical Drug Development Program.

“It’s a privilege to join this remarkable institution,” says Dmitrovsky. “I’m thrilled to be here. I’m approaching this incredibly important responsibility with a tremendous sense of service, purpose and humility. I plan to make decisions based on data, prudent financial stewardship and a desire to benefit the entire community. I will give my all to serve MD Anderson.”

A graduate of Harvard College and Cornell University Medical College, Dmitrovsky trained in internal medicine at New York Hospital–Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and in oncology at the NCI. He spent more than a decade on Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s faculty before moving to Dartmouth.

Dmitrovsky’s team helped establish retinoid (vitamin A) differentiation therapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. He also patented the molecular genetic test often used to diagnose APL and to monitor clinical response. He also conducts translational research for lung cancer, on a pathway activated by retinoids.