Clarivate honored 6,868 researchers spanning 60 countries and regions this year. From Pitt's sixteen researchers named to the list this year, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center has six members, including John Byrd, Greg Delgoffe, Valerian Kagan, John Kirkwood, Dario Vignali, and Simon Watkins (Affiliation at the time of recognition).
John Byrd, MD
Dr. Byrd is a globally renowned physician scientist whose work has transformed the diagnosis and treatment of hematologic malignancies. Over his career, he has authored more than 700 publications in the area of leukemia and experimental therapeutics research that have been cited tens of thousands of times. Dr. Byrd has led pivotal clinical trials, advanced groundbreaking therapies, and shaped modern standards of care for patients. His leadership, scientific rigor, and commitment to innovation continue to drive progress in hematology-oncology research worldwide. He brings nearly 30 years of research leadership and innovation to his role as director of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
Greg Delgoffe, PhD
Dr. Delgoffe studies the intersection of metabolism and immunity in cancer. His research focuses on how nutrient deprivation in the tumor environment drives cell exhaustion, effectively starving tumor-infiltrating T cells and preventing their function. Dr. Delgoffe's work has advanced the understanding of how metabolic pathways influence therapies, such as immunotherapy. He is associate director for Basic Research and director of the Tumor Microenvironment Center at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
Valerian Kagan, PhD, DSc
Dr. Kagan is one of the world’s foremost authorities in free radical biology and medicine, internationally recognized for pioneering the field of oxidative lipidomics. His interdisciplinary research has deepened the understanding of how enzymes in oxidative metabolism produce lipid molecules that signal cell death and help clear damaged or dead cells. At UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Dr. Kagan is a leading member of the Genome Stability Program, where his work helps elucidate how oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation shape genomic integrity, cell fate decisions, and tissue resilience.
John Kirkwood, MD
Dr. Kirkwood's research focuses on melanoma immunobiology, therapy, and prevention. His translational studies established the first effective adjuvant therapy of melanoma, identified the immunological basis of this therapy, and are now probing the role of molecularly targeted agents that may improve the efficacy of anti-PD1 immunotherapy. Dr. Kirkwood is a member of the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program and the director of the Melanoma Disease Center at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
Dario Vignali, PhD
Dr. Vignali's research focuses on understanding the inhibitory mechanisms, including inhibitory receptors and regulatory T cells, that limit anti-tumor immunity in cancer patients. He oversees discovery-based programs working to identify novel targets for therapeutic intervention and facilitate the translation of novel therapeutic modalities. Dr. Vignali is the Frank Dixon Chair in Cancer Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh and co-leader of the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
Simon Watkins, PhD
Dr. Watkins develops, builds, and applies computer-aided microscopes and analysis tools to image subcellular events in fixed and living systems at all levels of resolution. He is the founder and director of the Center for Biology Imaging at the University of Pittsburgh — one of the largest optical imaging centers in the country. He serves as the director of the Cell and Tissue Imaging Facility, a shared resource for UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
