University of Iowa names new Cancer Center director: Mark Burkard of UW

IOWA CITY — Nearly three years after longtime University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Director George Weiner announced plans to step down, the health care enterprise has announced his permanent replacement in Mark Burkard.

Burkard — currently serving as chair in metastatic breast cancer and professor in the Division of Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Internal Medicine — will begin his UI tenure Oct. 1.

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In addition to serving as director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, he’ll hold a professorship in the Department of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation in the UI Carver College of Medicine.

Specializing in breast cancer treatment and precision oncology, Burkard also currently serves as associate director of Genomics and Precision Medicine in the UW Carbone Cancer Center and as director of the UW-Madison Medical Scientist Training Program.

“Burkard’s work has set new standards in oncology care, and I believe his visionary approach and leadership will continue to raise the bar for our cancer center,” UIHC Vice President for Medical Affairs Denise Jamieson said in a statement. “This is underscored by his dedication to providing high-quality, individualized patient care, advancing cancer research, training the next generation of physician scientists, and his efforts to bring precision medicine to communities across Wisconsin.”

The university did not immediately release Burkard’s annual salary.

He has published study findings as recently as last month — and has focused his research on understanding the drivers of genomic changes in breast cancer and developing precision treatment like targeted drugs, chemotherapy and immunotherapies.

“I am excited to join the University of Iowa and work with exceptional Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center faculty, staff, and trainees to optimize cancer prevention and care delivery for the people of Iowa,” Burkard said in a statement.

He got his doctor of medicine and doctorate degrees at the University of Rochester in New York, completing his residency training at New York Presbyterian Hospital’s Cornell Campus, along with a fellowship in medical oncology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Burkard’s hire is the culmination of a national search, led by a committee chaired by Patricia Winokur, executive dean of the Carver College of Medicine, and John Buatti, radiation oncology professor.

Holden has been a recognized cancer center since 1980 and has been Iowa’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center since 2000.

Former director Weiner started as the center’s interim director in 1998, nearly a decade after first arriving at the university in 1989 as an assistant professor. Shortly after landing the director role on a permanent basis, Weiner helped foster a relationship with the Holden family — landing a $25 million naming gift in 2000.

In 2021, at age 65, Weiner announced plans to step down and the campus launched a national search.

Michael Henry stepped in as interim director on April 1, 2023 — having served as deputy director for research at the center for more than a decade. In a statement, Jamieson thanked Henry, who will continue as a UIHC faculty member.

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