On December 4, 2019 Aptose Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ: APTO, TSX: APS), a clinical-stage company developing highly differentiated therapeutics targeting the underlying mechanisms of cancer, reported the appointment of Rafael Bejar, M.D., Ph.D., to the position of Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, effective January 1, 2020 (Press release, Aptose Biosciences, DEC 4, 2019, View Source [SID1234551957]). In his role as a member of the executive leadership team, Dr. Bejar will oversee global clinical development and regulatory initiatives for Aptose, as well as other research activities.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
"Rafael is a physician-scientist whose depth of experience both in the research setting and in treating patients with hematologic malignancies brings a unique and important perspective as we accelerate the clinical development of our hematologic product candidates," said William G. Rice, Ph.D., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are very fortunate and excited to have him join Aptose and welcome him as a senior member of the management team."
Dr. Bejar is trained in internal medicine and board certified in oncology and hematology, with a special interest in hematologic malignancies and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Prior to joining Aptose, he served as Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at University of California San Diego in the Moores Cancer Center, where he established an MDS Center of Excellence, which provides state of the art care, clinical trials and medical expertise in one center. Dr. Bejar has authored numerous research articles published in leading journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Blood and more; has served as an invited speaker and chair at multiple scientific/clinical conferences; has served in teaching capacities and has been honored extensively.
Dr. Bejar completed his internal medicine residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where he later served as a Chief Medical Resident. He then received his fellowship training in hematology and oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He earned his medical degree and Ph.D. at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and his bachelor’s degree in Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"As a physician and researcher who has dedicated my professional life to understanding the development and progression of hematologic malignancies such as AML and MDS, I’m excited join Aptose at such a pivotal moment and to have the opportunity to bring CG-806 and APTO-253 to patients in need of new therapies," said Dr. Bejar. "Our goal is to translate these discoveries into clinically meaningful improvements for these patient populations and I very much look forward to being an integral part of that endeavor."