Dr. Hai Hu Appointed CEO of
Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine at Windber
Windber, Pa. (May 29, 2025) – Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine at Windber (CSSIMMW) is pleased to announce that Dr. Hai Hu has been appointed Chief Executive Officer while continuing in his role as Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Hu, who has served as the Institute’s Chief Scientific Officer since 2019, brings more than two decades of scientific leadership and deep institutional knowledge to this expanded position.
Dr. Hu began his tenure at the Institute over 22 years ago as Director of Bioinformatics and has since been instrumental in shaping CSSIMMW’s growth and impact. With a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the State University of New York at Buffalo and postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Hu’s academic foundation has informed a career devoted to advancing cancer research through innovation in biomedical informatics and translational science.
“Though it was never my goal to become the CEO of a research institute, I am truly honored and excited to be selected for this role, succeeding Mr. Tom Kurtz, who remarkably led us from WRI to CSSIMMW,” said Dr. Hu. “I view this appointment as a reflection of the exceptional accomplishments of our team at the Institute. Together, we have built a world-class biobank to support DoD cancer research, complemented by a widely recognized biomedical informatics infrastructure system accessed by dozens of DoD, VA, and civilian medical centers. We also have an excellent molecular lab, as well as a high-achieving bioinformatics team whose award-winning research—published in top scientific journals such as Cell and Nature—has brought international recognition to the Institute.”
Dr. Hu expressed deep appreciation for the support and leadership of Dr. Craig D. Shriver, Director of the Murtha Cancer Center Research Program at the Uniformed Services University, and acknowledged the foundational contributions of Institute visionaries such as Mr. Nicholas Jacobs and the late Congressman John P. Murtha, as well as other contributions from previous leaders.
He also shared his gratitude to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong and the Board of Directors for their confidence in his leadership. “Together with our incredible team, I am excited to embark on this journey toward making an even higher impact on cancer healthcare through translational research,” said Dr. Hu.
Dr. Hu is married to his wife, Dr. Ling Liang. Their son, Peter, recently began his career as a university assistant professor. In his free time, Dr. Hu enjoys hiking, traveling, spending time with his family, and maintaining a daily exercise routine.
With Dr. Hu at the helm, CSSIMMW is well-positioned to continue its mission of advancing cancer research and improving patient outcomes through cutting-edge molecular science and collaborative innovation.
About Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Molecular Medicine at Windber (CSSIMMW)
CSSIMMW is a private, non-profit biomedical research institute established in 2000, as the Windber Research Institute, with a mission to improve patients’ care through research. Initially focusing on translational research of breast cancers, we have since expanded to study other cancer types. We have developed a world-class biobank, holding over 700,000 aliquots of biospecimens from more than 35,000 donors and supporting numerous national research projects. We have developed unique informatics infrastructure systems to support the biobank and research efforts, with interactive access by dozens of clinical and research sites across the country. Our molecular lab performs high-quality molecular experiments on the biospecimens, and our bioinformatics team leads integrated analyses of clinicopathologic and proteogenomic data, publishing in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals including Nature and Cell. To translate research findings into therapeutics, we have newly established a therapeutics discovery lab. At CSSIMMW, we dedicate ourselves to advanced biomedical and translational research to transform healthcare and improve quality of life. For more information visit: www.wriwindber.org.