Our Leadership
Effective Jan. 15, 2025, the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center roles of interim director and interim deputy director are assumed respectively by Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH, professor of medicine in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Division of Hematology/Oncology, and José P. Zevallos, MD, MPH, chair of otolaryngology at UPMC and the Dr. Eugene N. Myers Professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Dr. Schmitz serves UPMC Hillman as associate director of population sciences and founding director of the UPMC Moving Through Cancer Program. Consistently funded by the National Cancer Institute since 2001, she is an international thought leader in the field of exercise oncology. She has won numerous awards, including being the first oncology researcher to receive the President’s Council on Fitness Lifetime Achievement Award. Overall, she has more than 350 publications, with a Google Scholar h-index of 91. Dr. Schmitz earned her PhD and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in epidemiology at the University of Minnesota. She joined Pitt in 2022, from Penn State College of Medicine, where she served as Distinguished Professor of Public Health Sciences. Prior to that, she served as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Dr. Zevallos became chair of the Department of Otolaryngology in August 2022. He was previously head and neck surgery division chief and the Joseph B. Kimbrough Professor of Head and Neck Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis. Dr. Zevallos’ clinical interests include the management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, salivary gland tumors, thyroid and parathyroid conditions, and benign tumors of the head and neck. He is an accomplished researcher and highly sought-after speaker nationally and internationally in these fields. Dr. Zevallos is also the founder and chair of the board of a molecular diagnostics start-up company, Droplet Biosciences, based in Cambridge, Mass.
Learn more about our leadership and committees on our Administration pages.
Our History
Founded in 1985, the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center (formerly the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute) is the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in western Pennsylvania. With over 300 research and clinical faculty members specializing in disciplines ranging from cancer prevention and early detection to novel therapeutic discovery, survivorship, and end of life care, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center maintains a broad strategic vision and comprehensive approach to understanding and defeating cancer. UPMC Hillman Cancer Center investigators are leaders in molecular and medical oncology, spearheading innovative research studies to:
- Advance our understanding of the biological basis of cancer development and progression
- Identify new and relevant biomarkers for improved cancer detection and diagnosis
- Develop novel therapeutics for successful and comprehensive cancer treatment
- Establish and implement effective measures for cancer prevention
While most faculty maintain academic appointments at the University of Pittsburgh, some Cancer Center members are affiliated with neighboring institutions, including Carnegie Mellon University and UPMC Hospitals.
At UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, basic researchers collaborate with clinician-scientists to rapidly advance the most promising laboratory studies into novel clinical trials, providing patients with early access to new and innovative treatments. Currently, patients have access to hundreds of clinical trials at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
Sustained by the ongoing recruitment of internationally renowned scientists and planned expansion of laboratory and clinical space, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center continues to grow and evolve, making vast strides in its quest to significantly reduce the burden of cancer.
