The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Appoints Ryan Schoenfeld as CEO

Schoenfeld to shape The Mark Foundation's allocation of a new $500 million commitment to cancer research funding

NEW YORK, May 18, 2022  /PRNewswire/ -- The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research announced that Ryan Schoenfeld, PhD, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer.  An experienced scientific leader, Ryan will oversee the Foundation's scientific programs, investments, and operations, and will be responsible for shaping how The Mark Foundation allocates the $500 million in additional funding recently committed by its founder.

"In four years at The Mark Foundation, Ryan has played a pivotal role in leading the scientific team in identifying and supporting promising high-risk, high-reward grants and investments," said Raymond N. DuBois, MD, PhD, Executive Chairman of the Board. "He has helped establish The Mark Foundation as a leader in accelerating innovative cancer research across diverse areas of science including molecular biology, chemistry, immunology, genetics, and data science."

Schoenfeld joined The Mark Foundation in 2018 and was named Chief Scientific Officer in February 2021. In August 2021 he also assumed the role of Interim CEO.

During his tenure, Schoenfeld has been instrumental in increasing the research portfolio from five grants in January 2018 to over 200 grants in May 2022, representing more than $160 million in funding. Together with his Mark Foundation colleagues, Schoenfeld also helped create and launch the ASPIRE, Drug Discovery, Endeavor, and Emerging Leader award programs; and establish Mark Foundation Centers at Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Cambridge.

"As the Foundation marks its fifth year of funding groundbreaking cancer research and prepares to substantially increase its cancer research grant and investment portfolios, Ryan's expertise and vision will be critical," added DuBois.

"It's an honor to take on the CEO role at The Mark Foundation at this significant time in its growth," said Schoenfeld. "I am confident that we will continue to make an impact by investing in teams, companies, and individuals around the globe who embrace risk and innovation in their scientific and entrepreneurial pursuits, ultimately helping us to achieve our mission of accelerating research that will transform the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer."

Prior to joining The Mark Foundation, Schoenfeld was Senior Director of Data Sciences at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, where he built and led a large global team of data scientists who delivered high impact machine learning and AI-based solutions for a wide range of problems across all therapeutic areas. Earlier in his career, Schoenfeld led medicinal chemistry and chemical biology teams at Roche Pharmaceuticals where he played a major role in the discovery and advancement of multiple novel small molecule therapeutics to human clinical trials.

Schoenfeld received a PhD in Chemistry from Cornell University studying organic synthesis with Professor Bruce Ganem, and a BS in Chemistry from California Polytechnic State University. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications and is an inventor on over 25 patents.

About The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research actively partners with scientists, research institutions, and philanthropic organizations around the world to accelerate research that will transform the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Since 2017, The Mark Foundation has awarded more than $160 million in grants to enable innovative basic, translational, and clinical cancer research, including drug discovery. In 2022, The Mark Foundation received an additional $500 million commitment to fund cutting-edge cancer research in its first decade. The Mark Foundation also has a robust and growing portfolio of investments in oncology companies developing novel therapeutics and diagnostics. Through its research and venture arms, The Mark Foundation supports projects throughout their life cycle to ensure their highest chance of success in impacting the lives of patients with breakthroughs in cancer care.

For additional information visit www.themarkfoundation.org. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media contact:
Linda Heaney
[email protected]

SOURCE The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research