While deaths from cardiovascular disease have declined dramatically over the past 50 years, deaths from cancer have not. As a result, cancer will soon become the leading cause of death in the United States. The Department of Cancer Biology at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania was founded in 2000 in response to the growing focus on understanding this deadly disease and reducing its impact on families and communities throughout the United States.

The Cancer Biology Department provides a dynamic, collaborative and highly interactive scientific environment for the conduct of research and laboratory training for more than 70 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty. The Department occupies beautiful, state-of-the-art research facilities in BRB II/III in close proximity to the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute and the Division of Hematology-Oncology.

Beyond its research and training mission, the Department is committed to undergraduate, graduate, and medical student education, to facilitating the research and professional development of its faculty members, and to mentoring junior faculty and trainees to promote career advancement.