Louis J. DeGennaro, Ph.D., is president & chief executive officer of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), a global leader in the fight against cancer. He leads the mission and operations of this $400 million cancer patient advocacy agency with headquarters in Rye Brook, NY. He joined LLS as chief scientific officer in 2005, was appointed chief mission officer in 2009, and named president & CEO in September 2014. As the key architect of LLS's cures and access agenda, he conceived and pioneered LLS’s Therapy Acceleration Program® - a venture philanthropy approach to accelerating new treatments to patients through drug discovery & development partnerships with the biotechnology industry. LLS’s foray into venture philanthropy helped redefine the activist role of non-profits to meet urgent unmet medical needs. Under his leadership LLS launched its groundbreaking precision medicine Beat AML® Master Trial in October 2016, leading the offensive against acute myeloid leukemia. Dr. DeGennaro has devoted his career to saving lives through drug discovery – first in academic research, later directing drug development at several pharmaceutical companies. At LLS he has found the perfect intersection of science and patient care, overseeing the funding of cutting-edge research, supporting patients and engaging in patient advocacy work.
