Dr. Karen Knudsen currently serves as the CEO of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. She’s also an internationally recognized oncology leader, guided by the goal of improving the lives of cancer patients and their families. She served as tenured faculty at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine prior to recruitment to Thomas Jefferson University in 2007.

Before her role as the CEO at ACS, she was the Executive Vice President of Oncology Services for Jefferson Health and Director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, one of the elite National Cancer Institute’s NCI-Designated Cancer Centers in the US. Dr. Knudsen is well-known for her discoveries in prostate cancer, advancing our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this common diagnosis and paving the way for targeted therapies. She’s also known for her advocacy work, emphasizing cancer prevention, early detection, research funding, and new treatments.

In addition to being CEO of the American Cancer Society, she serves on the board of advisors for the National Cancer Institute and on twelve external advisory boards for NCI-Designated Cancer Centers.