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LOS ANGELES, CALIF. – (APRIL 2, 2024) – The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), the leading nonprofit in the fight against pancreatic cancer, announces Anna Berkenblit, MD, MMSc, a clinical oncologist and drug developer, as its first-ever chief scientific and medical officer. In this role, Dr. Berkenblit will be responsible for the organization’s overall scientific and clinical strategy, including PanCAN-sponsored studies, research grants, health data, business development, and patient services, to align with the organization’s goal of improving outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients.
“I’m thrilled to bring my expertise in patient care and clinical research to help accelerate progress for patients with pancreatic cancer so they can thrive,” said Dr. Berkenblit. “And I’m really excited to join PanCAN to build on our scientific and medical initiatives to take PanCAN to the next phase of growth.”
This newly created role will oversee the current and future vision, strategy development, prioritization, and resource allocation of scientific and medical initiatives. Dr. Berkenblit will be part of the executive team reporting directly to PanCAN President and CEO Julie Fleshman, J.D., MBA.
“We are honored to welcome Dr. Berkenblit to PanCAN as our first-ever chief scientific and medical officer. She will serve as a thought leader for us in the pancreatic cancer scientific and medical community working with our external advisors and stakeholders,” said Fleshman. “We are excited to leverage her expertise as she helps us lay out a vision for PanCAN’s role over the next decade to improve patient outcomes through research, better early detection strategies, and improved treatment options.”
Dr. Berkenblit brings over two decades of experience in clinical development of novel anticancer therapies in the life science industry. Most recently, she served as chief medical officer at ImmunoGen, where she led the development of ImmunoGen’s novel, wholly owned product candidates, including ElahereTM, which recently received full approval by FDA for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Prior to that, Dr. Berkenblit was senior vice president, clinical development at H3 Biomedicine, and vice president, head of clinical research at AVEO Oncology. She also held positions of increasing responsibility at Wyeth/Pfizer, becoming vice president, neratinib asset team leader in the Pfizer Oncology Business Unit. Over the course of her career, she has led the clinical development of oncology products spanning early testing to registration trials, which will be key as she continues leading PanCAN’s commitment to innovation.
“As a clinical trialist and medical oncologist, I am excited about the future of PanCAN and partnering with the most innovative people in the field to invest our resources as we continue to find new ways to detect, treat, and manage pancreatic cancer,” said Dr. Berkenblit.
Dr. Berkenblit earned an MD from Harvard Medical School, and an MMSc in the clinical investigator training program at Harvard/MIT Health Sciences & Technology. She completed her internship and residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and went on to a hematology/oncology fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). Prior to transitioning to industry, she led the Phase I oncology clinical trial program at BIDMC as part of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.
To learn more about PanCAN and its mission to save lives, visit pancan.org or follow PanCAN on X, Instagram and Facebook.
