Pitt Cancer Researcher Heads Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer
By: Arvind Suresh
Dr. Lisa Butterfield, professor of medicine, surgery and immunology at the University of Pittsburgh
School of Medicine and director of the Pitt’s Cancer Institute’s (UPCI) Immunologic Monitoring and Cellular Products Laboratory (IMCPL), has begun to serve a two-year term as president of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC).
SITC is an organization focused on advancing the development, science and application of cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology. It’s comprised of influential basic and translational scientists, practitioners, health care professionals, government leaders and industry professionals around the globe. Butterfield, an expert in immunology and cancer immunotherapy clinical trials, is SITC’s first female president in its over 30-year history. She has been on the steering committee for SITC’s immunotherapy biomarkers task force, and is looking forward to new SITC initiatives in policy, global collaborations and education.
In addition to heading her research laboratory, Butterfield directs the IMCPL, which is responsible for developing cells for cancer therapy, monitoring of immune functions in patients with cancer who are treated with biologic therapies, and banking of blood and tissues for patients on clinical protocols. The IMCPL plays a critical role in supporting novel investigator-initiated immunotherapy trials at UPCI.
Dr. Lisa Butterfield, professor of medicine, surgery and immunology at the University of Pittsburgh
