UT MD Anderson's Past Presidents

Since its 1941 inception, UT MD Anderson has been led by five full-time presidents and one acting director.

Through their leadership, these men took UT MD Anderson from a staff of one to the world’s foremost center focused on cancer research, patient care, prevention and education.

The following individuals have made significant contributions to progress against cancer in Texas, the nation and the world:
 

Peter WT Pisters, M.D. — President, 2017-2026

Peter WT Pisters, M.D., served for more than 20 years as a UT MD Anderson faculty member and medical director before returning as president. Under his leadership, UT MD Anderson set in place a $10 billion capital expansion plan, achieved the strongest financial performance in its 85-year history, and launched Only Possible Here, The Campaign to End Cancer, our most ambitious comprehensive philanthropic campaign.

During his tenure, the institution expanded its reach through opening new facilities in the Houston area, evolving its national network with several U.S. health systems and deepening our global impact through work with Ministries of Health and non-governmental organizations. Pisters spearheaded redefining initiatives, including a strategic collaboration with UT Dell Medical Center to bring UT MD Anderson's research-driven cancer care to Austin and Central Texas; and Kinder Children’s Cancer Center, UT MD Anderson’s joint venture with Texas Children’s dedicated to ending childhood cancer; and the launch of five transformative institutes: the James P. Allison Institute, the Institute for Data Science in Oncology, the Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation, the Meyers Institute for Oncology Nursing and our award-winning Leadership Institute.
 

Ronald DePinho, M.D. — President, 2011-2017

Ronald DePinho, M.D., UT MD Anderson's fourth full-time president, is internationally recognized for basic and translational research in cancer, aging and age-associated degenerative disorders. During his tenure, he launched UT MD Anderson’s ambitious Moon Shots Program. 

DePinho continues his research in the department of cancer biology.
 

John Mendelsohn, M.D. — President, 1996-2011

During his presidency, John Mendelsohn, M.D., saw the institution more than double in size and launched what was then UT MD Anderson's largest fundraising campaign, Making Cancer History®: The Campaign to Transform Cancer Care.

Mendelsohn was named president emeritus in 2018.

Video: Honoring the legacy of John Mendelsohn, M.D.

Charles A. LeMaistre, M.D. — President, 1978-1996 

Charles A. LeMaistre, M.D. took the reins at UT MD Anderson after serving seven years as chancellor of The University of Texas System. 

As one of the physicians on the first U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health, which in 1964 issued its landmark report identifying cigarettes as a major health hazard, LeMaistre was dedicated to cancer prevention.

He established the cancer prevention program at UT MD Anderson, developing it into an international model of research and service initiatives that advanced the science and application of cancer prevention.

R. Lee Clark, M.D. — Director, 1946-1968; President — 1968-1978

Though his official title changed, R. Lee Clark, M.D., served as a chief administrator of a University of Texas System institution longer than anyone in the system’s history.

During his 32-year tenure, Clark was an early advocate of the team approach to treating cancer patients. After being designated one of the first three comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. under the National Cancer Act of 1971, UT MD Anderson was the prototype for comprehensive cancer facilities throughout the world.

Ernst W. Bertner, M.D. — Acting director, 1942-1946

For the first few months of UT MD Anderson’s existence, Ernst W. Bertner, M.D., was the institution’s only staff member.

A gifted organizer deeply interested in cancer control, Bertner planned the program, staff and budget that would become UT MD Anderson.

In February 1944, he oversaw the formal opening of what was then known as MD Anderson Hospital for Cancer Research of The University of Texas.