Alumni Note: Rafael Curiel, Ph.D. ’90, ’95

Alumnus Rafael Curiel, Ph.D., has spent nearly two years as chief scientific officer at Chicago-based Xennials Therapeutics, an innovative medical research company that focuses on improving outcomes for cancer patients. He stepped into oncology research in March 2018.

“Oncology to me is still a huge unmet need. I can account for relatives as well as friends who have been stricken by cancer,” Curiel said. “It is a disease that makes no difference to economical status, race, or gender. My motivation is to try to give people hope that they can overcome the disease.”

Curiel previously spent