Axel Schönthal, PhD, was appointed Associate Dean for Biomedical Master’s Degree Programs at the Keck School of Medicine, effective March 1. He will be a member of the Office for Health and Biomedical Science Education, where he will report to Vice Dean Peggy Farnham, PhD.

Schönthal is an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Keck School and has served for many years as Director of the MMI Master’s Degree Program. Dr. Schönthal has also been named a KSOM CET (Center for Excellence in Teaching) Fellow.

Schönthal received dual master’s degrees in biology and education at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, followed by a doctoral degree at the Institute of Genetics at the University of Karlsruhe, based on his study of oncogenes. He performed his postdoctoral work at UC San Diego’s Cancer Center, where he worked in the areas of molecular and cellular cancer biology.

He joined USC as an Assistant Professor in 1992 and later was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. Dr. Schönthal’s current research at USC uses preclinical models to pursue the development of novel agents and novel delivery methods toward improved cancer therapeutic regimens, in particular for cancer types that originate in the brain or migrate there from systemic origins. To date he has authored and co-authored more than 170 scholarly articles.