Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. (“Onconova”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel products for patients with cancer, today announced that Mark Gelder, MD ’82, Res ’85, has joined Onconova as chief medical officer (CMO), effective as of June 14, 2021.

Dr. Gelder is an accomplished industry leader with more than 35 years of experience in clinical development, medical affairs, and medical marketing. He was most recently the CMO of Elevar Therapeutics, where he led the company’s clinical development, medical affairs, regulatory affairs, and preclinical teams. Prior to his time at Elevar, Dr. Gelder served as the CMO of Pierian Biosciences (formerly DiaTech Oncology), Accelovance, Inc., and Heron Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Gelder also has extensive experience at large pharmaceutical companies, as he previously worked in global medical affairs and led therapeutic oncology programs for Pfizer, Wyeth, and Bayer. Dr. Gelder has led successful early- and late-stage global clinical trials and has been involved in the approval and launch of several cancer therapeutics. Prior to his career in the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Gelder was an investigator in multiple clinical trials and authored numerous scientific papers in the areas of women’s health and oncology. He earned his MD from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and completed a fellowship in gynecologic oncology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.