Leo T. Furcht, M.D. is Allen-Pardee Professor and Head of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota. Prior to this for a three-year period in the 90’s he served as Vice Provost for Research of the University of Minnesota Health Sciences. He also started and directed the MD/PhD program and the Biomedical Engineering Center at the University of Minnesota.

Furcht did undergraduate and pre-med at Columbia, received his MD at SUNY Upstate and did residency training in pathology at Minnesota where he has been on the faculty since. He was awarded the Endowed Professorship, "Allen-Pardee Professor of Cancer Biology" in 1987 and became chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology in 1990.

Furcht’s research deals with the interaction of cells in the body with the microenvironment particularly cancer cells and most recently cancer stem cells. The molecular mechanisms involved in tumor metastasis are at the core of his current research efforts. He has 30 or more patents including one on bone marrow derived stem cells from adults that have all the attributes of embryonic stem cells. He has published over 175 scientific papers and was in the first pool of scientists who received a Merit award from NCI.

Prior to serving as President of FASEB, Furcht served as Vice President for Science Policy Committee (04-05). In addition to his role as Immediate Past President of FASEB, he currently chairs the FASEB Ad Hoc Steering Committee on Conflict of Interest in Research.