Dear colleagues,

I am writing to announce a leadership transition in the Knight Cancer Institute. As he shared earlier, Tom Sellers, Ph.D., M.P.H., is stepping down as director of the Knight Cancer Institute. I have appointed Lisa Coussens, Ph.D., FAACR, FAIO, to serve as interim director of the Knight Cancer Institute. These changes are effective April 8, 2025.

Dr. Sellers joined OHSU in February 2023 as lead research officer for the Knight Cancer Institute and professor of medicine (oncological sciences) in the OHSU School of Medicine. He was appointed Knight Cancer Institute director in March 2024. He is an experienced leader and has made valuable contributions and been a strong advocate for our work at the Knight Cancer Institute throughout his tenure at OHSU. Dr. Sellers is an accomplished scientist who has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and has been supported by more than $100 million in funding as a principal investigator or co-principal investigator. Prior to joining OHSU, he was director of the Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida for more than seven years.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Sellers for his service.

Dr. Coussens was recruited to OHSU in 2011 from the University of California San Francisco to serve as professor and chair of the Department of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology in the OHSU School of Medicine and recently as the Knight Cancer Institute’s deputy director of basic and translational research. She holds the Hildegard Lamfrom Endowed Chair in Basic Science. Going forward, Dr. Coussens will continue her School of Medicine roles whereas her former role as deputy director will remain vacant for now.

In recognition of her pioneering research studies mechanistically demonstrating that chronic inflammation potentiates solid tumor development, Dr. Coussens was inducted to both the National Academy of Medicine (2024) and the National Academy of Science (2023). She was elected as a fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science in 2018, a fellow of the American Association of Cancer Research Academy in 2019, and a fellow of the Society for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer in 2022. In 2023, she concluded a successful year-long term as president of the American Association of Cancer Research. 

I am confident that Dr. Coussens is the leader Knight Cancer Institute needs, and I am very excited to work with her to ensure our continued success. Maintaining our status as a National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of our shared goals. We both remain deeply committed to the institute’s work to end cancer as we know it while supporting our colleagues who carry out our collective scientific vision.

We have experienced many changes and challenges in recent weeks, and Dr. Coussens and I want to continue an open dialogue. Please try to attend our Knight Cancer Institute Town Hall next Thursday, April 17, at 3 p.m. As usual, we will record the event for those who cannot attend.

Sincerely,

Shivaani Kummar, M.D., FACP
Interim Chief Executive, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute