Theodore DeWeese

DeWeese, founding director of the department of radiation oncology and molecular radiation sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, was born in Denver, Colorado. He received his B.A. magna cum laude from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 1986 and his M.D. with honors from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1990.

In 1990, DeWeese began an internship in internal medicine at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore. From 1991 to 1993, he completed his residency at Johns Hopkins, and served as chief resident from 1993 to 1994 in the division of radiation oncology. From 1994 to 1995, he served as a post-doctoral laboratory research fellow in the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center and the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute in the laboratory of Dr. William Nelson.

In 1995, DeWeese joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins as an instructor in oncology and in urology before being promoted to assistant professor in 1997 and associate professor in 2002 in both departments. He also received a joint appointment in the department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 1997. DeWeese was appointed as the first director of the department of radiation oncology and molecular science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and radiation oncologist-in-chief of The Johns Hopkins Health System in 2003. At that time, he was promoted to professor in radiation oncology and molecular sciences, in urology, and in oncology. In 2014, DeWeese was named the inaugural Sidney Kimmel Professor. DeWeese stepped down as director of the department in the school of medicine and as radiation oncologist-in-chief of The Johns Hopkins Health System in 2019 to become the Vice Dean of Clinical Affairs for the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

In addition to his departmental positions, he served as director of the radiation biology program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine from 2000 to 2007, chair of the board of directors for Central Maryland Radiation Oncology for The Johns Hopkins University and University of Maryland Medical System from 2010 to 2019, and as Vice President of Interdisciplinary Patient Care for Johns Hopkins Medicine from 2016 to 2019. In 2018, DeWeese was appointed Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs and president of the Clinical Practice Association at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 

As the inaugural chairman of the department of radiation oncology, DeWeese built the program into one of the most successful and highly ranked programs in the United States. Throughout his tenure, he oversaw substantial growth in the clinical, research and training aspects of the department. He recruited both acclaimed senior faculty as well as junior faculty who have gone on to become internationally recognized for their research and promoted to professor and department chairs. DeWeese also recognized the strategic importance of the National Capital Region for the growth of Johns Hopkins Medicine and radiation oncology and was the first department to integrate at both Sibley Memorial Hospital and Suburban Hospital beginning in 2011. In July, 2022, DeWeese was named interim dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

DeWeese’s research interests have primarily focused on the DNA damage response of cancer cells (primarily prostate cancer) to ionizing radiation, including repair, cell cycle perturbations and growth factor regulation. He is an international expert in the management of prostate cancer and has conducted multiple clinical trials including several “first-in-man” translation of novel therapies, including the first replication restricted adenoviral gene therapy for treatment of prostate cancer. DeWeese has published more than 200 papers and book chapters and given more than 130 invited national and international lectures. He has mentored more than forty trainees and dozens of medical students and residents in his lab and has won a number of teaching awards from across The Johns Hopkins University. DeWeese is also the recipient of numerous awards including the Doris Duke Research Scientist Award and is a fellow of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

DeWeese has served on multiple advisory boards and was appointed by the National Academy of Sciences to serve as scientific councilor and chair of the scientific council for the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima, Japan. DeWeese has served on many Johns Hopkins boards and committees, was elected president of the Johns Hopkins Hospital medical staff and chair of the Johns Hopkins Hospital medical board, and served as chair of the Johns Hopkins Medicine United Way campaign. He was elected president and chair of the American Society for Radiation Oncology where, among his priorities, he advanced the funding for research awards to support early stage investigators and created a new Board of Director’s Council on Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion that ensures the future activities of the Society will be pursued with these key features as a priority. DeWeese also served as senior editor for the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, Translational Oncology, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology in addition to several other publications.