image: Anthony B. El-Khoueiry, MD, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Credit: Photo: Ricardo Carrasco III
Anthony B. El-Khoueiry, MD, has been appointed director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, effective November 1st, 2026.
Prior to the appointment, El-Khoueiry served as associate director for clinical research, medical director of the Clinical Investigations Support Office and Chief of Section of Developmental Therapeutics/Phase I program at USC Norris. He also holds the Verna R. Richter Chair in Cancer Research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. El-Khoueiry is a medical oncologist with Keck Medicine of USC and has led numerous clinical trials that ushered meaningful therapies for cancer patients.
“Dr. El-Khoueiry has demonstrated his exemplary leadership and a deep commitment to advancing cancer research during his decades of service at USC,” said Keck School of Medicine Dean Vassilios Papadopoulos. “His expertise in clinical trials, dedication to advancing new therapies and collaborative approach to research will be invaluable as USC Norris continues to push the boundaries of cancer discovery.”
USC Norris brings together laboratory scientists, clinicians and cancer epidemiologists to investigate cancer biology, risk factors and care. As director, El-Khoueiry will advance the center’s mission to translate scientific discoveries into new approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. He sees its culture of team science, its innovative basic and translational research, its strength in population science, and early phase clinical trial program as crucial to that work.
“I am honored to lead USC Norris and build on the center’s strong legacy of scientific discovery and clinical innovation,” said El-Khoueiry. “We are poised to be at the forefront of therapeutic innovation, especially in the areas of immunotherapy and cellular therapies. I look forward to working with our multidisciplinary teams of scientists and clinicians to advance personalized care and to broaden our efforts in the areas of cancer epidemiology, prevention, and diagnosis. At the same time, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to providing compassionate state of the art care and ensuring that all USC Norris patients and communities have access to innovative clinical trials.”
“As both a respected practitioner and renowned researcher, Dr. El-Khoueiry knows that cancer care advances when medical discovery and clinical practice inform each other,” said Steve D. Shapiro, executive vice president of Health Affairs and president and CEO of Keck Medicine. “Under his leadership, our patients will benefit from innovative treatments born from investigative science and delivered with empathy and compassion.”
Pioneering new therapies for liver cancer
El-Khoueiry is an international leader in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, with a particular focus on liver and biliary tract cancers.
Much of his work has centered on clinical trials of investigational therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cancer of the biliary tract (cholangiocarcinoma). These include experimental drugs that alter gene activity in cancer cells, block signals that help cancer grow, and change how the immune system responds to cancer. His research was pivotal to ushering in the era of immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma and has contributed to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals for multiple new therapies.
Launching a nationally recognized phase I drug development program
In 2007, El-Khoueiry established the USC Norris phase I program, which is dedicated to the development and administration of first-in-human clinical trials for solid tumors. The program covers a broad range of therapeutic modalities including first-in-class agents that inhibit historically “undruggable” targets driving cancer and new immunotherapeutic approaches beyond checkpoint inhibitors. El-Khoueiry and the other four phase I investigators he recruited and mentored have produced multiple manuscripts on novel therapies that have reached later stages of development or resulted in FDA approvals. The success of this program led to the creation of the Section of Developmental Therapeutics, which is now the home of the phase I program.
A career dedicated to cancer research and leadership
El-Khoueiry’s work has earned him numerous awards and honors, including a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Investigator Team Leadership Award, which recognizes outstanding clinical researchers at NCI-designated cancer centers. He has served as the chair of the Southwest Oncology Group’s Hepatobiliary Cancers Subcommittee and was recently appointed as co-chair of the NCI Hepatobiliary Cancers Task Force.
He completed his medical degree, residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in hematology and oncology at USC before joining the faculty in 2004. During his tenure at USC, he played a critical role in expanding and refining the infrastructure for cancer clinical trials, growing the portfolio of USC Norris led and investigator-initiated clinical trials, fostering collaborations through NCI collaborative clinical research grants, and enhancing access to clinical trials including patients at the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
“We live in unprecedented times where science and technology are enabling monumental advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment,” said El-Khoueiry. “I am grateful and honored by the opportunity to lead our USC Norris community in our quest to “make cancer a disease of the past.”