About Wafik S. El-Deiry, MD, phD, FACP

Dr. El-Deiry earned MD and PhD degrees at the University of Miami and completed internal medicine residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, followed by medical oncology fellowship training at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center. He joined the University of Pennsylvania in 1994 as Assistant Professor of Medicine and Genetics, was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 1999, and to Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology, and Genetics with tenure in 2005. From 1995 to 2004 he served as an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a period that coincided with seminal discoveries defining p21(WAF1) as a p53 target gene and tumor suppressor central to the mammalian stress response, as well as later work identifying DR5 as a p53-regulated death receptor and advancing TRAIL pathway biology. At Penn, he also held key roles supporting the physician-scientist pipeline and institutional training programs, including leadership and service in admissions and mentoring across cancer program and MD/PhD training tracks, and later served as co-Leader of the Radiobiology and Imaging Program at the Abramson Cancer Center and as Associate Director for Physician-Scientist Training in Hematology-Oncology. This early arc established the two themes that define his career: mechanistic rigor in cancer biology and disciplined translation from pathway insight to therapeutic strategy.

Across three decades, Dr. El-Deiry’s work has repeatedly connected fundamental mechanism to actionable oncology. He discovered p21(WAF1) as a p53 target gene linking DNA damage to cell-cycle control and tumor suppression, work recognized as among the most highly cited original contributions in Cell for more than two decades. He identified DR5 as a p53 target, strengthening the bridge between tumor suppressor signaling and extrinsic apoptosis. He later discovered TIC10/ONC201 as a TRAIL pathway inducer and integrated stress response inducer, and helped establish a platform of imipridone therapeutics including ONC201 and analogues such as ONC206 and ONC212. The original small molecule first identified through a chemical library screen designed by Dr. El-Deiry and performed in his laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania progressed over fifteen years to an historic milestone: U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval on August 6, 2025 for recurrent H3K27M-mutated diffuse glioma, now known as dordaviprone (Modeyso). His ongoing work continues to evaluate mechanisms and rational synergies across tumor types, with multiple combination strategies emerging and awaiting further translation as of March 2026.

Dr. El-Deiry has built and led interdisciplinary programs that connect laboratory discovery, translational validation, and patient care. At Penn State Cancer Institute he served as Rose Dunlap Division Chair, Professor of Medicine, Chief of Hematology-Oncology, Associate Director for Translational Research, Program Leader in Experimental Therapeutics, and Interim Director. At Fox Chase Cancer Center he served as Deputy Director for Translational Research, Program Leader for Molecular Therapeutics, Professor of Oncology, and William Wikoff Smith Chair in Cancer Research. At Brown University he is Director of the Legorreta Cancer Center and Associate Dean for Oncologic Sciences at the Warren Alpert Medical School, with clinical practice focused in colorectal cancer and precision oncology. He is the elected Chair of the Worldwide Innovative Network (WIN) Consortium in Precision Oncology (December 17, 2023–present), an international consortium advancing personalized cancer medicine and collaborative translational strategy.

Dr. El-Deiry has authored over 500 publications and edited six books. He has served in major editorial roles, including Associate Editor of the Journal of Clinical Investigation (2007–2010), Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Biology and Therapy (2001–2019), and in 2026 serves as co-Editor-in-Chief of Oncotarget and Associate Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Cancer Research. He has been continuously funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute from 1998 through 2025, has served as an NCI and American Cancer Society grant reviewer, and has lectured widely. He is a highly cited researcher with an H-index of 134 in 2026 and over 115,000 citations in Google Scholar. He served on the ACIP COVID Immunization Work Group reporting to ACIP and CDC in 2025 and organized a national working group on science integrity and public trust in 2025.

He has been recognized as one of America’s Top Oncologists by the Consumers’ Research Council of America and has been named a Top Doctor in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Interurban Clinical Club founded by Sir William Osler and served as its President in 2013–2014. He previously served on Brown University’s Faculty Executive Committee from 2021–2024.