Prize is Pitt School of Medicine’s most prestigious annual award
Brian J. Druker, MD, is the recipient of the 2012 Dickson Prize in Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Druker is an oncologist best known for his central role in the development of imatinib (Gleevec), a drug that targets the molecular defect in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). After completing a series of preclinical studies, Dr. Druker spearheaded the highly successful clinical trials of imatinib, which is currently approved for CML, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and five other cancers. Dr. Druker is director of the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health and Science University, where he is also associate dean for oncology, JELD-WEN Chair of Leukemia Research, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.
