Director, Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Vice Dean for Cancer Programs, PSOM
Vice President for Cancer Programs, UPHS
John H. Glick, MD, Abramson Cancer Center’s Director Professor

Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPhil, is the Director of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and the John H. Glick, MD, Abramson Cancer Center’s Director Professor in the Perelman School of Medicine. He is Vice Dean for Cancer Programs at PSOM and Vice President of Cancer Programs for the University of Pennsylvania Health System. He serves as Lead Physician for the cancer service line of the Health System. 

Dr. Vonderheide graduated from the University of Notre Dame (Chemical Engineering) and obtained his DPhil in immunology from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He graduated from Harvard Medical School and completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the Massachusetts General and a fellowship in medical oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. As an NIH-funded investigator at Penn Medicine, Dr. Vonderheide directs a research team focused on cancer immunology and immunotherapy. He has published more than 220 peer-reviewed manuscripts with senior-author papers in high-impact journals such as Science, Nature, Cancer Cell, and the New England Journal of Medicine. He is well-known for deciphering the immune mechanisms of CD40 activation in cancer and directing clinical trials of novel immunotherapy. 

Dr. Vonderheide is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Association of Physicians, and the American Society of Clinical Investigation. Dr. Vonderheide is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, is a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board Working Group on Extramural Research Concepts and Programs, serves on the external scientific advisory boards for 10 NCI-designated cancer centers (chairing four), and serves as Deputy Editor of Cancer Immunology Research. 

As Vice Dean for Cancer Programs, Dr. Vonderheide is responsible for setting the vision for the Cancer Center, securing funding and resources, facilitating team-based transdisciplinary research, and decision-making on scientific policy, strategic directions, and investments. He oversees Abramson Cancer Center’s Research Programs and Shared Resources, and the Cancer Center’s systems for Clinical Protocol and Data Management, Community Outreach and Engagement, Cancer Education and Training, and Administration.