Thomas George named interim director of UF Health Cancer Institute

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Thomas George, M.D., FACP, FASCO, an accomplished gastrointestinal medical oncologist and nationally known expert in clinical research, has been named interim director of the University of Florida Health Cancer Institute, effective Nov. 17.

George, the institute’s deputy director for the past two-plus years and a professor in the UF College of Medicine Division of Hematology and Oncology, succeeds Jonathan Licht, M.D., the institute’s director for the past decade who is leaving UF for another position. A national search for a permanent director will be conducted.

George, director of the UF Health GI Oncology Program, has deep expertise developing and leading clinical trials and specializes in early-phase cancer drug development. Before becoming deputy director in 2023, he was the institute’s associate director for clinical research for seven years.

George played an instrumental role in leading the institute to achieve designation from the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, in 2023. He then spearheaded an overhaul of the institute’s strategic plan, guiding its focus and research priorities over the next decade as it pursues comprehensive NCI designation. His oversight of the institute’s membership
expansion to include representation from all 16 colleges helped secure the Board of Governors’ approval this fall for the center to be elevated to an institute, a title conferred only upon UF units engaging in campuswide collaborations.

“Cancer research at UF has experienced remarkable growth over the last decade, earning NCI designation while doubling cancer-related funding to $51 million annually,” said David P. Norton, Ph.D., vice president for research at UF. “Dr. George has been integral to this growth and success, and I am confident the institute will continue to thrive under his leadership as interim director.”

George will build on the institute’s strong foundation as its members and staff continue to accelerate cancer research and transform care for patients in its 26-county service area in Florida. Comprehensive NCI designation requires innovation spanning all facets of cancer research, with an even greater impact of cancer research from the bench to the bedside to the community.

“With our institute’s upward trajectory, we have a clear responsibility and an incredible opportunity to make an enduring difference for the patients we serve in Florida and beyond,” George said. “I am truly honored and humbled to take on this role with an incredible leadership team. We have established ourselves as a nationally recognized force driving cancer research by engaging many of the best minds from across all 16 UF colleges, from Engineering to Medicine. I could not be more excited to contribute to further elevating our cancer research and clinical programs.”

George completed his undergraduate degree as well as his Doctor of Medicine degree, internal medicine residency, and hematology and oncology fellowship at the University of Florida. He has extensive experience as a member of multidisciplinary collaborative research teams focusing on personalized treatment and decision-making for patients. Through leadership in national clinical trial consortia and the NCI, George is active in developing practice-changing clinical trials, as well as early-phase clinical trials testing new therapies for patients with advanced cancers. He holds
the only NCI R50 Clinical Trial Research Specialist Award currently in the state.

George recently served
as chair of the Association of American Cancer Institutes’ Clinical Research Innovation Steering Committee, which is responsible for establishing best practices across national cancer center clinical trials offices. He holds appointments to the external advisory board or as an external consultant of a dozen NCI-designated, comprehensive or emerging cancer centers.

He is a member of the medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, or ASCO, and numerous national cancer research groups. In 2023, he was named
a fellow of ASCO in recognition of his extraordinary volunteer service, engagement, dedication and commitment to the profession and patients with cancer.

He has won numerous awards, including several Exemplary Teacher Awards, the Exemplary Mentor Award and the Master Clinician Award from the UF College of Medicine. He has also received the UF Health Cancer Institute’s Most Valuable Player Award.