Edward Partridge, M.D, director of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, has appointed Richard J. Whitley, M.D., the associate director for drug discovery and development. Whitley, a professor in the UAB Department of Medicine and senior scientist at the Cancer Center, leads the Alabama Drug Discovery Alliance in collaboration with the Southern Research Institute.
"Dr. Whitley has done an outstanding job in developing and leading this new entity and has been influential in moving a number of cancer-related projects through the development process," Partridge said.
Whitley also is co-director of UAB's Center for Emerging Infections and Emergency Preparedness and a renowned researcher on the antiviral therapies designed to fight infections in children and adults. He is vice-chair of the Department of Pediatrics. “He will also provide leadership in our strategic planning to enhance the research program with pediatric oncology,” says Partridge.