Acer Therapeutics Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing therapies for serious rare diseases with significant unmet medical need, appointed Robert Steiner, M.D. to Chief Medical Officer. In this role, Dr. Steiner will be responsible for driving strategy for and leading the clinical development of Acer’s two lead programs, ACER-001 and ACER-002.
“Bob brings a unique perspective to his role as Chief Medical Officer at Acer, with an extensive experience in clinical practice, research and healthcare business administration,” said Chris Schelling, CEO and Founder of Acer Therapeutics.
“We are thrilled to have him join the company, as he will play a key role in moving our programs for ACER-001 and ACER-002 through clinical development to address the critical unmet need for the rare disease patient populations we aim to serve, and that he knows so well.”
In addition to his role within Acer, Dr. Steiner is a Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Most recently, he served as executive director of Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation (MCRF), Chief Scientific Officer for Marshfield Clinic, and Executive Associate Director, University of Wisconsin Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR). At MCRF, he directed a research institute with 200 employees, 30 full-time scientists, 125 clinician-investigators, a $25 million annual budget, and a sizable endowment. In this role, he worked closely with the Marshfield Clinic Institute for Quality and Patient Safety, the development team, and the technology transfer group. In addition, he has more than 20 years experience collaborating with and consulting with industry primarily related to orphan/rare disease diagnostics and drug development. Dr. Steiner was formerly Credit Unions for Kids Professor of Pediatric Research, Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular & Medical Genetics, and Vice Chair for research in pediatrics at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and the Institute for Developmental Disabilities, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon where he retains an affiliate professorship. He also led the division of metabolism, department of Pediatrics at OHSU for over a decade. He earned a B.S. with honors from the University of Wisconsin, followed by an M.D. from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. He subsequently completed residency in pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and fellowship in medical genetics at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital. Dr. Steiner is board certified in pediatrics, clinical genetics, and clinical biochemical genetics.