Fred Miller, Ph.D., professor of the departments of Oncology and Pathology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and scientific director of the Cancer Center Cores at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, has received the appointment of professor emeritus in the Department of Oncology. The appointment will become effective upon his retirement Oct. 1.

Dr. Miller received his doctoral degree in Medical Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and his post-doctoral training in Cancer Biology at Brown University. His cancer research work in Detroit dates to 1979, when he joined the Michigan Cancer Foundation as a scientist in the Department of Immunology. He continued his research when the foundation was renamed Karmanos Cancer Institute in the mid-1990s and served as the co-leader of the Breast Cancer Biology Program at Karmanos from 2008 to 2010.

He is recognized worldwide for his analysis of breast cancer progression from high-risk premalignant epithelium to metastasis, using both human cells and mouse models. Dr. Miller aided in the advancement of cancer research as a skilled laboratory scientist and as an integral member of Karmanos leadership. He received the Award for Scientific Distinction from Karmanos' Heroes of Breast Cancer program in 2000.

Wei-Zen Wei, Ph.D., professor of Immunology and Microbiology for the School of Medicine and associate center director of Basic Science at Karmanos, is a long-time colleague of Dr. Miller and acknowledges the impact he's had on breast cancer research.

"Dr. Miller has been a supportive colleague and a true friend since I was a graduate student," she said. "He is a scholar, a gentleman, a kind leader and a caring person with a big heart. The breast cancer research community owes him a debt of gratitude for his work and his cell lines that make our breast cancer studies possible."