A New Dean for the Medical School:
Allen Lichter, M.D.

Allen S. Lichter (M.D. 1972) a member of the faculty of the University of Michigan Medical School for the past 15 years, was appointed dean May 1 after serving as interim dean from December 1, 1998.

Lichter served as chair of the Medical School’s Department of Radiation Oncology from 1984 to 1997 and was also director of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Breast Oncology Program from 1984 to 1991. Before joining the Medical School, he was director of the Radiation Therapy Section of the National Cancer Institute’s Radiation Oncology Branch in Washington, D.C.

Lichter received his B.S. degree from U-M in 1968. After receiving his medical degree from the U-M Medical School in 1972 he did his internship at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver and completed his residency in radiation oncology at the University of California in San Francisco in 1976.

Widely known for his research in the treatment of breast cancer, Lichter was an early advocate of the lumpectomy approach. He conducted one of the trials that found the use of lumpectomy and radiation therapy to be as effective as the traditional treatment of mastectomy. This work, along with other trials, led to a revolution in breast cancer treatment standards. Also, under Lichter’s leadership, the U-M created a system of 3-dimensional treatment planning and dose distribution that uses stacked X-ray sliced images of organs or sections of the body to recreate the patient’s anatomy on the computer, thus allowing doctors to more precisely direct radiation to a tumor. This pioneering work helped redefine the technical delivery of radiation therapy.

Lichter is past president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, only the second radiation oncologist to be elected to the position. He is also a member of the board of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. A frequent writer and editor, he is co-editor of Clinical Oncology, a textbook first published in 1995, with a second edition to be released this year.