Michael Deininger, MD, PhD

Deininger’s research is focused on myeloid malignancies, with an emphasis on aberrant signaling, targeted therapy, and drug resistance. He completed medical school and training in Internal Medicine and Hematology/Oncology in Germany, followed a PhD in leukemia biology at Imperial College, London. In 2002 he was recruited to Oregon Health & Science University and in 2007 was appointed Head of Hematologic Malignancies and Program Leader at Knight Cancer Institute. In 2010 he became Division Chief for Hematology and Hematologic Malignancies at the University of Utah, Senior Director for Transdisciplinary Research at Huntsman Cancer Institute, and M.M. Wintrobe Professor of Medicine. In 2021 he joined the Versiti Blood Research Institute as Director and Senior Investigator, and the Medical College of Wisconsin as a Professor of Medicine. Dr. Deininger’s research spans the entire spectrum of myeloid malignancies. In his frame of thinking, leukemogenesis is a process unfolding in an ecosystem populated by both malignant and non-malignant cells that interact with each other and their acellular environment, creating dependencies that can be exploited therapeutically. As a physician-scientist he has led an NIH-funded lab almost 20 years, served as PI on numerous clinical trials, and published more than 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts.