William G. Wierda, MD, PhD, is Professor and Medical Director for the Department of Leukemia and Executive Medical Director for Leukemia, Lymphoma and Stem Cell Transplant at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Dr. Wierda received his doctorate of philosophy in microbiology and immunology and his medical degree from the University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School. He subsequently completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Duke University Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at the University of California, San Diego.

Dr. Wierda's research focuses on identifying immunology and immunotherapy strategies for hematologic malignancies, particularly chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). He has served as principal investigator or co-investigator for numerous clinical trials, lectured nationally and internationally, and published extensively on clinical and translational aspects of CLL and drug development.

Dr. Wierda is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Association of Immunologists.

Dr. Wierda serves as Chair and Value Pathways Task Force Member for the NCCN CLL/SLL/Hairy Cell Leukemia Panel. He also is an editorial board member for JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and a scientific review committee member for the NCCN Oncology Research Program.