Razelle Kurzrock, M.D., FACP
Chair and Professor
Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics
[A Phase I Program]
Anderson Clinical Faculty Chair for Cancer Treatment and Research
Division of Cancer Medicine
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
Dr. Razelle Kurzrock is a Professor of Medicine at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and Director of the Division of Cancer Medicine, Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics (Phase I Clinical Trials Program), and holds the Anderson Clinical Faculty Chair for Cancer Treatment and Research. Her work, which spans more than two decades, has been widely funded, including by the NIH, The American Cancer Society, the pharmaceutical industry, and several foundations. Dr. Kurzrock has had extensive experience in clinical and translational research studies, having been the PI on more than 80 phase I-II clinical trials of biologic and targeted agents, some of which have gone on to FDA approval. Dr. Kurzrock’s passionate dedication to education has focused on training the next generation of investigators in clinical and translational sciences. As such, Dr. Kurzrock has served as the PI on a K30 education award from the National Cancer Institute and is the co-Director and Educational Director for the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), an infrastructure program funded by one of the first 12 NIH Clinical and Translational Science Awards (Dr. Kurzrock, co-PI, total award = 36 million). Also of note, she is the director of an MS/PhD program in Patient-Based Research, which she developed and which was approved in 2003 for degree granting at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center. This program is a unique and exemplary training curriculum designed for those who wish to become scholars in research pertaining directly to the human model.
Dr. Kurzrock has served as a mentor to numerous students engaged in clinical and basic research and is also the Director of the Investigational Cancer Therapeutics Fellowship Program. In recognition of her many contributions to clinical education, Dr. Kurzrock was, in 2008, selected for membership in the University of Texas Academy of Health Science Education, thus being designated as a Distinguished Teaching Professor. Dr. Kurzrock has published extensively in the field of clinical/translational research, with more than 300 peer-reviewed papers, most of which involve the early investigation of novel molecules directed towards cancer therapy. Dr. Kurzrock is known nationally and internationally for her work in this field, as reflected by awards for excellence in clinical research as well as numerous requests for speaking engagements both in the US and abroad. Her work has led to four patents pending, including the use of liposomal curcumin in cancer treatment. Recently, she has become chair of the Early Therapeutics group in the Southwest Oncology Cooperative Group (SWOG).
The Phase I Clinical Trials Program, directed by Dr. Kurzrock, was founded by her at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in July 2004. In 2007, the program achieved departmental status, becoming the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics. Its mission is to translate laboratory discoveries and clinical observations into hypothesis-driven clinical trials leading to targeted, tailored and personalized cancer treatments. Since its inception, the program has grown rapidly and in 2009, 820 patients were registered on more than 100 Phase I trials. The M. D. Anderson Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics is now the largest Phase I department of its sort in the world. Its ambitious aim, already started, is to use molecular profiling to match patients with targeted drugs, hence making personalized cancer therapeutics a reality.
Dr. Kurzrock is married to dermatologist, Dr. Philip Cohen, has four children, and in her “spare” times enjoys reading and running half-marathons.