W. K. Alfred Yung is professor and chair of Neuro-oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he holds the Margaret and Ben Love Chair of Clinical Cancer Care and dual appointment as professor of cancer biology. He is also a professor of neurology at the University of Texas (UT) Health Sciences Center at Houston Medical School and a faculty member at the UT Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Houston.

He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Internship and residency training followed at the University of California, San Diego. He completed chief residency and a fellowship at Cornell University School of Medicine and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Yung joined MD Anderson as assistant professor in 1981 and rose quickly through the faculty ranks.

His many roles at MD Anderson have included deputy chair of Neuro-Oncology and medical director of the Neuro and Supportive Care Center. In 2001, he became co-director of our renowned Brain Tumor Center, which he expanded with co-director Raymond Sawaya, M.D. Dr. Yung has led the department of Neuro- Oncology as ad interim chair (1999-2002) and as chair since 2003. During his tenure, the department has launched fellowship programs in neuro-oncology and neuro-psychology and expanded to 24 faculty who have achieved much under his guidance, including development of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded Brain Specialized Program of Research Excellence, building of the groundbreaking D24 smart oncolytic virus program, leadership in the NCI-funded CNS tumor clinical trial consortia and creation of the Brain Tumor Trial Collaborative.

Dr. Yung’s extensive experience and expertise in brain tumor research has included nearly three decades of basic, translational and clinical studies at MD Anderson. Published in more than 300 peer-reviewed journals, his research aims to develop new therapeutic approaches to block the regulatory mechanisms of brain cancer cells. His primary focus is on development of molecular therapeutic strategies targeting the EGFR and PTEN/PI3 kinase pathways and the angiogenic regulatory mechanisms that are crucial to the genesis and progression of human glioma. Dr. Yung’s many significant contributions to his field include leadership of the study that led to FDA approval of temozolomide for glioblastoma and co-leadership of the registration study which led to approval of the drug bevacizumab for recurrent glioblastoma. His work has been advanced by 30 years of continuous funding by NCI as well as support from numerous foundations and industry grants.

Respected nationally and internationally, Dr. Yung has served his profession in numerous leadership roles, including editor-in-chief of Neuro-Oncology, the flagship journal of the Society of Neuro-Oncology, from 2007-2014, and co-chair of the NCI Brain Malignancy Steering Committee since 2011.