Director's Biography
Richard D. Klausner, M.D.

Dr. Klausner was appointed as the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) on August 1, 1995. Since 1984, he has been Chief of the Cell Biology and Metabolism Branch of the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. Dr. Klausner received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his medical degree from Duke University. After post-graduate medical training at Harvard, he began his research career at the National Institutes of Health in 1979.

Dr. Klausner is well known for his contributions to multiple aspects of cell and molecular biology. Over the past five years, he has been recognized as one of the 20 most highly cited scientists in the world in this burgeoning area of biology and biomedical research. Dr. Klausner's research has illuminated the genetics and biochemistry of metals as essential but toxic nutrients for virtually all forms of life, has illuminated the pathways by which molecules traffic and speak to each other within the cell, and has described novel mechanisms by which genes are regulated.

His work has been recognized with numerous honors and awards including the Outstanding Investigator Award from the American Federation of Clinical Research and the William Damashek Prize for Major Discoveries in Hematology. In 1993, Dr. Klausner was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and chaired their project, charged with writing standards for science education for the United States from kindergarten through 12th grade. This project represents the first comprehensive attempt to describe a vision of scientific literacy for all students and to provide the criteria for the educational system required to achieve the fulfillment of that vision.

Dr. Klausner is the past President of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. In October 1996 he was elected to the Institute of Medicine. He is the author of over 250 scientific articles and several books.