Dr. Ed Partridge has been named acting director of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center effective July 5.

Partridge’s appointment comes as Dr. Peter Emanuel steps down from the position after serving as center director for two years. Emanuel has requested the change in order to focus his efforts in his research laboratory and patient care duties in the Division of Hematology-Oncology.

“Dr. Partridge has agreed to serve in this temporary leadership capacity as we proceed to very carefully and thoroughly search for the strongest candidate that we can recruit for the Cancer Center director position,” said Dr. Robert Rich, dean of the UAB School of Medicine.  

“The Center will be in excellent hands – Dr. Partridge is well-known as a very intelligent and caring physician, an able administrator and community servant.  He has a great reserve of institutional memory here, and he will do a splendid job.”

Rich said the university is very grateful to Emanuel for direction of the center.

“Dr. Emanuel saw us through the renewal of the National Cancer Institute Core Support Grant – at almost $31 million, the largest grant the Center has ever received,” Rich said. “Plans were laid and fundraising is significantly under way for a new radiation oncology facility.

“In addition, Cancer Center Supporters had the two most successful fundraising years in that group’s over 20-year history,” Rich noted, pointing out that also during Emanuel’s tenure, the Cancer Center continued to make strides in top quality patient care and innovative research.