It will be a great pleasure to welcome the new director of the UF Shands Cancer Center when he arrives in December. Dr. Paul Okunieff is a distinguished radiation oncologist and scientist who will assume the chair of radiation oncology at UF as well as the directorship of UFSCC.

Dr. Okunieff went to college at MIT where he majored in computer and electronic engineering. From there he went to Harvard Medical School and then trained in radiation oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He later became head of radiation oncology at the National Cancer Institute and after that became chair of radiation oncology at the University of Rochester. He built an excellent department at Rochester and at the same time sustained a very productive research program in the study of cancer metastases and developing simple ways of measuring radiation exposure.

Our new director brings a flurry of great ideas backed by impressive skills. He is an outstanding recruit not only for the cancer center but for the entire health center and the university. His background in engineering, the building of successful programs, and his commitment to collaboration across the campus and beyond, especially with Moffitt Cancer Center and UF-Shands Jacksonville, make him the ideal candidate for the job. UF is fortunate to attract such an eminent leader.