Lustgarten Foundation Chief Scientist David Tuveson Named Executive Director of Duke Cancer Institute

Renowned pancreatic cancer researcher and longtime Lustgarten scientific leader will bring decades of groundbreaking research and collaboration to one of the nation’s leading cancer centers

The Lustgarten Foundation congratulates David Tuveson, MD, PhD, Chief Scientist of the Lustgarten Foundation, on his appointment as Executive Director of the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI), effective October 31, 2026.

For decades, Dr. Tuveson has pushed pancreatic cancer research forward by challenging what scientists know about the disease, developing new ways to study it and building collaborations that turn discovery into progress for patients. Now, he will bring that same scientific vision and leadership to Duke Cancer Institute, where he will lead more than 400 researchers and physicians working to advance cancer research and care.

“Dave has spent his career pushing the boundaries of what is possible in pancreatic cancer research,” said Linda Tantawi, CEO of the Lustgarten Foundation. “He brings together bold science, extraordinary researchers and a relentless focus on patients to accelerate progress. His appointment to lead Duke Cancer Institute recognizes the impact he has already made and creates an opportunity to extend that impact across the cancer research community. We are incredibly proud of Dave and look forward to continuing our work together as he takes on this important new role.”

Dr. Tuveson has served as Lustgarten’s Chief Scientist since 2018, helping shape the Foundation’s scientific strategy and guiding investments designed to move the most promising pancreatic cancer research forward. His partnership with Lustgarten began years earlier. In 2012, he returned to the United States from England to establish and direct the Tuveson-led LABS (Lustgarten Advancing Breakthrough Science) Program site at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), creating a dedicated hub for innovative pancreatic cancer research.

That partnership will continue at Duke. As Dr. Tuveson begins this next chapter, the Tuveson-led LABS site will move with him to Duke, extending Lustgarten’s research presence into one of the country’s leading comprehensive cancer centers. The move will create new opportunities for collaboration across disciplines while ensuring Dr. Tuveson and his team can continue pursuing the ambitious pancreatic cancer research at the heart of the LABS Program.

Throughout his career, Dr. Tuveson has transformed how researchers study pancreatic cancer. He and his team developed the first accurate mouse models of the disease and pioneered pancreatic cancer organoids, three-dimensional models that give scientists powerful new ways to understand tumor biology and test potential treatments. His work has also deepened our understanding of the molecular drivers of pancreatic cancer, the tumor microenvironment and new opportunities to target the disease.

These advances do more than expand scientific knowledge. They give researchers better tools to ask bigger questions, pursue new treatment strategies and move promising ideas closer to patients. At Duke, Dr. Tuveson will lead one of the nation’s NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers, uniting research, clinical care, education and collaboration to accelerate advances across cancer.

“Pancreatic cancer research has made tremendous progress, but patients need us to move faster,” said Dr. Tuveson. “Lustgarten has given scientists the support, collaboration and freedom to pursue ideas capable of changing this disease. I am grateful for what we have built together and excited to continue that work while bringing what we have learned to this new opportunity at Duke.”

Dr. Tuveson is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy and served as AACR President from 2021–2022.

For Lustgarten, Dr. Tuveson’s appointment reinforces something we have long believed: investing in exceptional scientists creates impact far beyond a single laboratory, project or discovery. It builds the knowledge, tools and leadership the entire field needs to move forward.