The Wistar Institute, a biomedical research leader in cancer, immunology and infectious disease, announces Dario C. Altieri, M.D., Wistar’s president and CEO, director of the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center, and Robert and Penny Fox Distinguished Professor, will step down from his leadership role effective December 2026. In the interim, the Board of Trustees will undertake a comprehensive national search process to identify his successor.

During Dr. Altieri’s distinguished tenure of more than 11 years as president and CEO and over 16 years as director of the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center, he has led the Institute through a period of significant growth and scientific innovation resulting in unprecedented expansion. Through his leadership, the Institute quadrupled its annual budget to greater than $100 million, tripled the organization’s endowment to $277 million, guided the Cancer Center’s designation as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Basic Cancer Center – the only such one in Pennsylvania to be renewed three times with the highest possible “Exceptional” rating, doubled the scientific footprint of the Institute with the creation of two new research Centers (Center for Advanced Therapeutics and HIV Cure and Viral Diseases), grew the scientific staff from 30 independent labs to 41, and supported the first, non-traditional, life science apprenticeship program recognized by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

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