WASHINGTON (Sept. 1, 2015) — The George Washington University (GW) is pleased to welcome Edward Seto, Ph.D., an internationally recognized scientist and leader in the field of cancer epigenetics. He will serve as the associate director for basic sciences in the newly established GW Cancer Center. The GW Cancer Center incorporates all cancer related activities taking place at GW, the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, GW Hospital, and the GW Medical Faculty Associates, and will serve as a platform for future development of cancer initiatives. Seto will also serve as professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Seto joins GW from the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, where he was a senior member in the Department of Molecular Oncology. During his time at Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, he also served as chairman of the Department of Molecular Oncology from 2008 to 2014; program leader of molecular oncology from 2005 to 2014; and scientific co-leader of the Moffitt-Forma Therapeutics Partnership since 2014. In addition, Seto was a professor in the Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology at the University of South Florida.
“I am thrilled that a basic scientist and a leader of the stature of Ed Seto has joined the GW Cancer Center team. He is the kind of scientist that every major cancer center would love to have. We are very pleased that among all the cancer centers that he was enticed to join, Ed has chosen the GW Cancer Center to continue with his extremely productive scientific career,” said Eduardo M. Sotomayor, M.D., director of the GW Cancer Center and professor of medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences. “Ed and I, along with the senior leaders of GW, the GW Medical Faculty Associates, and GW Hospital shared the same vision that strength in basic science is fundamental for the building of an innovative cancer research enterprise.”
As the associate director for basic sciences, Seto will provide leadership for the ongoing development, implementation, and evaluation of the basic science related programs and initiatives within the GW Cancer Center. In collaboration with the leadership team, he will identify potential scientific areas that would become scientific programs and part of a grant application for National Cancer Institute designation. Seto will collaborate with the other associate cancer center directors — including clinical investigations, population science, administration, and education — for integration of programs across all areas.
“I am very pleased to be joining GW, an institution with a rich history of supporting and promoting research, teaching, and science,” said Seto. “I know that under the leadership of Dr. Sotomayor, we will make an impact in cancer research and education.”
Seto is a widely published author, and has published over 120 peer reviewed articles, with several in top tier journals such as Nature, Nature Genetics, Molecular Cell, Genes & Development, several book chapters, reviews, and editorials. He serves as an associate editor or an editorial board member of multiple journals, including: Molecular and Cellular Biology, Clinical Epigenetics, Genes & Cancer, and GENE. He is an ad hoc reviewer of many other scholarly journals and regularly serves on grant review panels for prestigious scientific institutions, including the National Institutes of Health. He is also the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the University of South Florida Outstanding Faculty Research Achievement Award, the 2003 Moffitt Cancer Center Scientist of the Year Award, and the Ralph R. Kaul Endowed Chair for Molecular Oncology Research.
Seto holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Irvine and a doctorate degree from the University of California at San Francisco. He will assume his role as associate director for basic sciences at the GW Cancer Center on Sept. 1, 2015.
