Anthony Letai, MD, Ph.D., was officially sworn in as director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) on September 29, 2025. The ceremony was conducted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Letai previously served as a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and as a medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He has extensive experience in cancer research, particularly in studying cell death mechanisms, developing treatments, and identifying predictive biomarkers.
Secretary Kennedy stated: “For too long, federal research priorities neglected cancer and other chronic diseases. President Trump ended that neglect, and under Dr. Letai’s leadership, NCI will drive American innovation by focusing squarely on the best science to find causes and cures.”
Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
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NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya added: “Dr. Letai has been immersed in the relevant science for decades and has been on the cutting edge of how we think about cancer treatment. His drive, integrity, and expertise make him the right leader to harness the resources and talent at NCI to reverse America’s cancer crisis.”
Dr. Letai commented: “It is a great honor to join Secretary Kennedy and Director Bhattacharya at this watershed moment for our nation’s public health. We will work around the clock to identify cancer’s root causes, predictive biomarkers, and most effective treatments. Advances in understanding cell death and in directly studying human patient tumor tissue are essential to realizing President Trump’s vision for a healthy America.”
Dr. Letai played a key role in bringing venetoclax—a BCL-2 inhibitor—from laboratory research into clinical use. His laboratory contributed to advancements regarding both liquid and solid tumors as well as various treatment approaches such as cellular immunotherapies.
He has received several awards including the European Cell Death Organization Career Award, Smith Family Prize for Outstanding Scientific Contributions, and National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator Award.
Dr. Letai holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from Princeton University and earned his Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Chicago. He completed his Ph.D. with research on heritable blistering diseases before completing his residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital followed by a fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
He began his studies on programmed cell death during his post-doctoral fellowship before establishing his own laboratory focused on how apoptosis can be evaded by cancer cells.
Dr. Letai lives with his wife Jean; their daughter Julie represented Team USA in short track speedskating at the 2022 Winter Olympics and is currently preparing for the 2026 Games in Milan.
