Norman E. Sharpless, MD

Dr. Sharpless is a physician, scientist, entrepreneur and former federal official, serving as Director of the National Cancer Institute from 2017 to 2022, and as Acting Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration in 2019. Prior to government, Dr. Sharpless was the Wellcome Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Director of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He founded G1 Therapeutics, which developed the FDA-approved medicine Cosela (Trilaciclib), used to prevent chemotherapy toxicity. He is currently on the boards of G1 Therapeutics, Karius Inc, and Nucleus Radiopharma; and is the co-Founder of Jupiter BioVentures. He is currently the Professor of Medicine, Cancer Policy and Innovation at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy, the Association of American Physicians, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the National Academy of Medicine.