Elizabeth Plimack – SAB Chairperson

Elizabeth R. Plimack is a Professor of Medical Oncology, Chief of the Division of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Director of Genitourinary Clinical Research at Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC).  She is an expert on the treatment of genitourinary malignancies with a focus on bladder and kidney cancers.  Her research effort is directed towards the discovery of novel therapeutic approaches and predictive biomarkers for patients with bladder and kidney cancers.  Dr. Plimack has extensive clinical trial experience with targeted therapy, immunotherapy and novel combination therapies. She serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines panels for Bladder Cancer and Kidney Cancer, the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network Management and Think Tank Steering Committees, and on the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Urinary Tract Expert Panel. She is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Board of Directors (2020-2024).  Dr. Plimack received her undergraduate degree from Yale University and completed her M.D. degree and residency in Internal Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine. She went on to a Medical Oncology Fellowship at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, and received a Master’s in Patient Based Biologic Research from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Science.

“I first learned about BCAN early in my career as faculty at Fox Chase, and was immediately eager to be a part of it.  I applied to attend the Think Tank and received an invite on my second try. That first meeting I was struck by how interactive and collaborative the meeting was, and the breakout structure focused on planning a course of action that would span the course of the upcoming year. 

That was 11 years ago, and since then I have deepened my connections and volunteer efforts with BCAN. I have been honored to serve as part of the Think Tank steering committee, Chair of the Think Tank meeting in 2018, head of the Young Investigator Award study section, and now Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board.  Supporting science and innovation for patients living with and surviving bladder cancer is one of the most rewarding endeavors of my career. It takes hundreds of us in all disciplines coming together to make advances happen, and we simply would not be able to do it without the support, infrastructure, funding and culture of collaboration that BCAN provides.” – Dr. Plimack