Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD

Dennis J. Slamon, M.D., Ph.D., serves as the President of TRIO-US. He is a UCLA Professor of Medicine, Chief of the UCLA Division of Hematology/Oncology and Executive Vice Chair for Research for UCLA's Department of Medicine.  He is the Director of Clinical/Translational Research for the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC).  Dr. Slamon known worldwide for his extensive research in cancer and has been recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in cancer research.  Dennis has been awarded numerous research awards honoring his scientific accomplishments.

In 2019, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Sweden’s Sjöberg Foundation honored Dr. Slamon as a co-winner of the 2019 Sjöberg Prize for his groundbreaking research in the development of successful targeted cancer therapies.  Additionally, that same year, Dennis was presented with the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for his revolutionary work in the development and utilization of Herceptin in breast cancer.  It is a therapy targeting a genetic alteration of the HER2 oncogene in 25% of breast cancer patients.  This effort turned one of the deadliest kinds of breast cancer into the one of the most treatable and controllable. The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation honored Dr. Slamon and colleagues H. Michael Shepard and Axel Ullrich for demonstrating that monoclonal antibodies were a viable and effective strategy to treat solid tumors, opening a new path to develop and deploy antibodies to treat cancer. This pioneering work changed not only breast cancer, but many other cancers, treatments and paved the way for more targeted therapies.  

In 1975, Dennis Slamon graduated from University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine with honors.  He earned both his MD and Ph.D. in cell biology that same year.  He completed his internship and residency at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics, becoming chief resident in 1978.  One year later, he became a fellow in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at UCLA.  He has remained at UCLA since his fellowship and joined leadership in the University as Division Chief of Hematology-Oncology, Professor of Medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine, as well as Director in the UCLA JCCC. 

Dennis founded TRIO-US with his colleague and fellow UCLA research, Dr. John Glaspy, in 1995 to help bring his cutting-edge research to the patients in their communities.  Since that time, he has continued to research novel approaches to cancer and the help the patients and families affected by cancer.  He serves as President and a member of the Board of Directors of TRIO-US.  He also serves as the Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of TRIO.

Dr. Slamon has practiced medicine and conducted cancer research at UCLA for over 40 years, dedicating his life to improving cancer therapies and the lives of patients around the world.

John Glaspy, MD, MPH

John Glaspy, MD, MPH, is professor of medicine at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine. Dr. Glaspy holds the Simms /Mann Family Foundation Chair in Integrative Oncology. He previously held the Estelle, Abe, and Marjorie Sanders Endowed Chair in Cancer Research.

Dr. Glaspy is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Southwest Oncology Group, American Federation for Clinical Research, International Society of Interferon Research, and American Society of Nuclear Medicine, among others.  He is also a fellow of the American College of Physicians.  During the course of his career, Dr. Glaspy has authored more than 400 articles, abstracts, and book chapters.  He has received numerous awards and honors, including being named one of the “Best Doctors in America.” Dr. Glaspy, has been involved in the design and founding of Stand Up to Cancer, an organization that has raised 120 million dollars for cancer research to date. He has also, been involved with this organization from the beginning three years ago and continue to serve as the Chair of its Management Committee. 

Currently, Dr. Glaspy is involved in clinical trials of therapies for melanoma and breast cancer as well as supportive care trials.  He is also involved in health services research exploring quality of care improvement and financial toxicity for patients. 

Dr. Glaspy received his MD from the UCLA School of Medicine and his MPH in health services administration from the UCLA School of Public Health. He completed his residency in internal medicine and his fellowship in hematology and oncology at the UCLA School of Medicine.

Fran Visco

Fran Visco, a more than 30-year breast cancer survivor, is the President of the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) and a member of its Board of Directors. Ms. Visco is an honors graduate of Villanova Law School, where she was an editor of The Villanova Law Review and a chair of the Women’s Law Caucus. President Clinton appointed Ms. Visco to three terms as one of three members of the President’s Cancer Panel; she was the first consumer to chair the Integration Panel of the Department of Defense Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program; Ms. Visco co-chaired the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and served on the National Cancer Policy Board. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Translational Research in Oncology, an international non-profit clinical trials. Ms. Visco has been appointed to several Institute of Medicine panels and served as a member of the IOM Roundtable on Evidence Based Medicine. She is a previous member of the Board of Directors of Women’s Way in Philadelphia, the nation’s oldest and largest women’s funding federation.