Prevent Cancer Foundation remembers “Father of Tamoxifen” Dr. V. Craig Jordan

The Prevent Cancer Foundation is deeply saddened by the death of Dr. V. Craig Jordan. Known as the “Father of Tamoxifen,” Dr. Jordan discovered the first FDA-approved drug to prevent cancer, revolutionizing the field of prevention.

As part of its focus on early-career researchers, the Foundation supported Dr. Jordan’s work nearly four decades ago as he conducted innovative experiments around the breast cancer preventive properties of Tamoxifen. By 1998, Tamoxifen had received FDA approval for use in women who are at high risk for breast cancer, becoming the first breast cancer chemopreventive drug.

Dr. Jordan was humble about his achievements and knew it was only the beginning of a new approach to cancer prevention. “Slowly these [chemopreventive] drugs will be created…They will be produced by a new generation of scientists who understand that chemoprevention isn’t simply the wild imagining of dreamers, but a coherent and achievable approach to cancer control,” he once said.

At the time of his death, Dr. Jordan was a professor of Breast Medical Oncology and Molecular and Cellular Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He served as the Dallas/Ft. Worth Living Legend Chair for Cancer Research at MD Anderson. Dr. Jordan held previous positions at multiple world-class institutions, including the University of Leeds, Switzerland’s Ludwig Institute, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Northwestern University, Fox Chase Cancer Center and Georgetown University.

“Dr. Jordan’s work has saved countless lives and remains instrumental in helping people achieve better outcomes for their health,” said Jody Hoyos, CEO of the Prevent Cancer Foundation. “We are deeply grateful for his contributions to the field—with particular regard to women’s health—and our thoughts are with his colleagues, students, family and loved ones.”