John D. Carpten, PhD, professor and chair of translational genomics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, has been elected by members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) to serve on its board of directors. 

John Carpten

The Philadelphia-based nonprofit made the announcement Tuesday. Carpten takes over the position previously held by Karen E. Knudsen, MBA, PhD, who is leaving her post to become CEO of the American Cancer Society. Carpten will serve on the board until 2022.

In addition to being a professor, Carpten is the founding chair of translational genomics at the Keck School and founding director of the USC Institute of Translational Genomics. He is an internationally recognized leader in cancer genomics and precision oncology, as well as a pioneer in investigating the biology behind disparities in cancer outcomes among populations.

Carpten has a long association with the AACR, which is described as the “first and largest cancer research organization dedicated to accelerating the conquest of cancer.” The group was founded in 1907 and currently lists about 47,000 members, including investigators, health care professionals, cancer survivors and advocates. 

Carpten has been a member since 2003 and was elected as a Fellow of the AACR Academy on March 29. He served as chair of the AACR’s Minorities in Cancer Research Council from 2020-2021, and has been a member of the Council since 2007. Carpten served as chair of the AACR Special Conference: The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved in 2007, 2009, 2013, and 2020. He also received the AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship (2018) and the AACR Distinguished Lectureship on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities (2014).