Weiss Family Establishes Endowed Cancer Research Fund

Throughout his 33-year career as a clinical oncology researcher and professor, Geoffrey Weiss, M.D. (SOM ’74), identified two key factors that shaped his life’s work: His Saint Louis University School of Medicine education and the funding he received early in his training. Now, 50 years after earning his medical degree, he is supporting young cancer investigators-in-training at his alma mater with what he calls a “modest resource” — the Weiss Family Endowed Cancer Research Fund.  

“Since SLU’s School of Medicine is where it all began for me, I wanted to make a contribution to its cancer research program,” Weiss said. “I learned how crucial such early funding was to the development and support of new faculty investigators, especially during the first few uncertain years.” 

Dedicated to the education of medical students, residents and fellows, along with his groundbreaking research in malignant melanoma, renal cell carcinoma and other cancers, Weiss hopes to help younger doctors advance their medical careers as he was able to do.

After completing his residency at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, Weiss trained as a fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute of Boston. He won a T32 training grant from the National Cancer Institute, which allowed him to continue his clinical research for another year and commit to a career in medical research. In 1982, Weiss joined the faculty at the University of Texas-San Antonio Division of Medical Oncology, where he contributed to the clinical advancement of 40 new anticancer agents. He received an American Cancer Society Clinical Oncology Career Development Award and served as a professor of medicine and division chief until 2004. For the next nine years, he was chief of the hematology-oncology division at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville. He retired in 2015.

Weiss and his wife, Martha (whom he met in St. Louis while a med student at SLU), have two adult children. Mark is an antitrust lawyer, and Claire has a doctoral degree in archeology and coauthors a Pennsylvania Dutch food blog with her dad. In his retirement, Weiss enjoys his time as a blogger, creative writer and beekeeper.