Van Andel Institute has appointed surgeon and cancer immunotherapy expert Clifford Cho, M.D., as a professor in its Department of Cell Biology. Cho also serves as chief medical officer of University of Michigan Health-West.
As a physician-scientist, Cho bridges the gap between lab-based research and clinical treatment. He is a pioneer in a novel anti-cancer therapy called histotripsy, which uses ultrasound waves to disrupt tumors and elicit an immune response. Together with his collaborators, Cho’s research led to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of histotripsy as a treatment for liver cancer.
Cho’s appointment at VAI also paves the way for deeper collaborations with University of Michigan Health-West and Michigan Medicine, a powerhouse combination that is poised to further enhance translational research in West Michigan.
“I could not be more happy or thankful to be joining VAI,” Cho said. “The opportunity to help build scientific and clinical partnerships between West Michigan and the University of Michigan feels very much like a homecoming to me.”
After earning his M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Cho completed his residency in general surgery at University of Wisconsin and his fellowship in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. As a board-certified surgeon, his clinical interests include the surgical management of liver, pancreatic, biliary and gastrointestinal cancers.
Cho joined the faculty of University of Michigan in 2016 as the C. Gardner Child Professor of Surgery. He subsequently held several leadership roles, including executive director of the Cancer Network of West Michigan, vice chair of surgical oncology and clinical care chief of cancer surgery. Earlier this year, he was appointed chief medical officer of University of Michigan Health-West.
Cho’s lab will move to VAI’s research facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His clinical practice will be based at University of Michigan Health-West. In addition to his roles at VAI and University of Michigan Health-West, he will remain a faculty member of Michigan Medicine.
