Howard Crawford is the Senior Scientist and Scientific Director for Henry Ford + MSU Pancreatic Cancer Alliance. In 2020, he was recruited to lead the Henry Ford Pancreatic Cancer Center, a fledgling institution brought to life by a very generous $36M gift from an anonymous donor. There, he has recruited and led a team of young scientists focusing on cellular plasticity, tumor/stroma interactions, and racial disparities in pancreatic cancer.
Crawford is a national and international leader in the pancreatic cancer research field. He has worked in the pancreatic cancer field for the past 25 years, focusing on epithelial cell plasticity and inflammation. The National Cancer Institute, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs have consistently funded Crawford.
For the past 10 years, he has been the director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Workshop on Pancreatic Cancer, an immersive workshop bringing the top experts in the field to instruct the next generation of pancreatic cancer researchers.
Crawford earned a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude; a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas; and a postdoctoral fellowship and research faculty appointment at Vanderbilt University.