Cullen M. Taniguchi, MD, PhD, a radiation oncologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, died November 15, 2023. He was 47 years old.
Taniguchi received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Occidental College in Los Angeles. As a Rhodes Scholar, he took a master’s degree in economic and social history from Linacre College at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. He received his medical degree and a doctorate in cell and developmental biology from Harvard Medical School in Boston. Taniguchi completed a residency in radiation oncology at Stanford University in 2013, followed by a research fellowship at Stanford.
He joined MD Anderson in 2014 as an assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and had a joint appointment in the Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology. He established a laboratory conducting research on pancreatic and anal cancers.
Taniguchi was an AACR member since 2015, belonging to the working groups on Radiation Science and Medicine, Tumor Microenvironment, and Minorities in Cancer Research.
He was elected to the 2022 class of Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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When Hurricane Harvey visited Houston, Cullen and his family lived two doors down from me, my daughter and my 95 y/o mother. As the water quickly rose, and poured into our 1950's home, the Taniguchis became concerned with our safety and reached out. Cullen came over to our home and encouraged us to go back to their house with him. He picked Mom up as though she was a small child. He then waded through the knee- high water separating our house from theirs. We were invited into their home and further blessed with warm towels, a warm welcome, great compassion and food. There we stayed for three days. With our dog.
Cullen deeply appreciated the next generation and mentored many young investigators. He was a selfless and dedicated physician scientist who loved his family, patients and colleagues. We will miss him tremendously.
I credit Dr.T, as he was fondly called for giving me an opportunity to work on Pancreatic Cancer and mentor me for a bit over two years on everything that entails cancer research. He was a great mentor, scientist and an amazing human being. May he rest in peace and my prayers to the family.