Contact: Andrea Greif
(914) 821-8958
andrea.greif@lls.org
White Plains, NY (September 9, 2014) - The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) announced today that Louis J. DeGennaro, Ph.D., has been appointed as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately.
"Dr. DeGennaro has tirelessly dedicated himself for almost a decade of service to the LLS mission and to the patients whom we all serve, and this appointment is in recognition of his vision, leadership and commitment to the LLS mission," said LLS Board of Directors Chairman James H. Davis, Ph.D. "The opportunity to defeat blood cancer has never been greater. Several innovative blood cancer treatments have been approved in the last twelve months, and the research pipeline of exciting new therapies continues to grow. Over the past 65 years, LLS has played a significant role in funding promising research from bench to bedside, investing more than $1 billion in blood cancer research to date. Our patient support and advocacy programs help ensure that patients have affordable access to the latest therapies. Under Dr. DeGennaro's leadership, LLS will continue to advance our mission and help save the lives of blood cancer patients not someday, but today," Davis added.
DeGennaro has served as interim president and CEO of LLS since February 2014 and leads the operations of this $300 million cancer patient advocacy agency with headquarters in White Plains, New York. A critical member of the LLS executive leadership team, he joined LLS in 2005 and was named chief mission officer in 2009, with responsibility for leadership of LLS's mission functions of research, patient access, education, public policy and advocacy. DeGennaro is recognized as the key architect of LLS's cures and access agenda to help save lives of blood cancer patients and the LLS Therapy Acceleration Program® - a venture philanthropy endeavor that defined the role of non-profit organizations in supporting drug discovery and development with the biotechnology industry.
DeGennaro has more than 25 years of research, drug development and executive management experience in academic and private sector settings. He received his doctorate in biochemistry from the University of California at San Francisco and did his post-doctoral research at the Yale University School of Medicine. His previous academic appointments include research group leader, Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany, where his laboratory was among the first to clone genes expressed exclusively in the nervous system; and associate professor of neurology and cell biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School.
DeGennaro's private-sector positions include: senior director of molecular genetics at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Princeton, N.J., where his department contributed to the development of pantoprazole (Protonix®) to treat acid reflux disease, Effexor (Venlafaxine®) for anxiety and depression and Mylotarg® for leukemia; executive vice president for research and development, SynX Pharma, Inc. in Toronto, Canada, where he was responsible for the development of a point-of-care diagnostic test for congestive heart failure; and research manager at Streck, Inc., Omaha, Neb., where he helped develop an FDA-cleared diagnostic test for AIDS/HIV.
DeGennaro was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2012 to serve as a member of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Advisory Council, and the Cures Acceleration Network Review Board at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He also serves on the boards of BioTheryX, Inc., an early-stage biotechnology company and the Health Research Alliance, an alliance of non-profit funders of research.
DeGennaro's appointment follows a thorough national search conducted by Russell Reynolds considering both internal and external candidates.
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.
Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org. Patients should contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.