Brian Druker has stepped down as head of the Knight Cancer Institute but will continue his research work.
OHSU / OPB
OHSU has confirmed that the leader of the Knight Cancer Institute, Dr. Brian Druker, is resigning as CEO. The university said he will continue running his research lab and seeing patients.
Druker may be best known for his pioneering work on the cancer drug Gleevec, which dramatically increased the survival rate for a type of leukemia. The drug was one of the first of a group of drugs called “targeted therapies,” designed to attack cancer cells with specific abnormalities.
The development of Gleevec, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2001, led to significant investment in the medical school from Nike co-founder Phil Knight.
“As I speak, there is a grandfather, a mother, a child who hugs a loved one. Hugs a loved one he or she would not be able to hug if not for Brian Druker,” Knight said during a fundraising gala for the university in 2017.
In a statement, OHSU officials said Druker’s work leaves an “indelible legacy.”
“OHSU is grateful for his many years of leadership and looks forward to continued collaboration with him at OHSU through his research and patient care endeavors,” the statement said.
Druker announced his resignation in an email to colleagues, according to the Willamette Week. In that message, he said the school had lost sight of its mission, and that his goals to advance cancer research and improve care were no longer possible at OHSU.
His resignation comes at a time of intense turmoil for the university. In October, OHSU President Dr. Danny Jacobs also announced he would be stepping down.
The school’s board of directors originally planned to appoint School of Medicine Dean Nate Selden to the role for a three-year term. But Gov. Tina Kotek stepped in, saying the board was moving too fast. On Nov. 4, former executive Steve Stadum was appointed as interim president. Kotek’s executive appointments team will help OHSU put together a search committee to recruit and hire a permanent president.
The Oregon health care giant is also in the midst of an effort to acquire Legacy Health, a merger that is currently under review by state officials.
