Dr. Jordan Named to Chair in Memory of Princess Diana

CHICAGO—V. Craig Jordan, PhD, has been named Diana, Princess of Wales, Professor of Cancer Research at Northwestern University. Dr. Jordan, a native of the United Kingdom, is professor of cancer pharmacology at Northwestern University Medical School and director of the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Research program affiliated with the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.

The endowed chair was funded by a generous gift from Chicago philanthropist Ann Lurie and named in memory of Princess Diana, who visited Northwestern in 1996 as the keynote speaker in a major symposium on breast cancer. Northwestern received approval of the family of Princess Diana for naming the endowed chair in her honor.

Mrs. Lurie is a member of the University Board of Trustees. The Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center was named in memory of Mrs. Lurie’s husband, a Chicago business leader and philanthropist who died of cancer.

Dr. Jordan, dubbed the “father of tamoxifen,” has devoted his entire 30-year scientific career to the study of antiestrogens, beginning with his dissertation on estrogen receptors.

When Dr. Jordan began his work on tamoxifen (Nolvadex), the drug was considered nothing more than a failed contraceptive.

Dr. Jordan saw its potential in breast cancer and performed studies showing that the agent prevented the growth of mammary tumors in rodents. As Dr. Jordan predicted, tamoxifen was subsequently found to prevent breast cancer recurrence and increase survival of breast cancer patients. More recently, it has been shown to prevent the development of breast cancer in high-risk women.

Dr. Jordan has been instrumental in guiding the clinical development of tamoxifen and, more recently, raloxifene (Evista), an antiestrogen used to prevent osteoporosis. He is medical director of the STAR (Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene) clinical trial, comparing the two agents for breast cancer prevention in postmenopausal women.