BIOGRAPHY

Clifton Leaf  | Biography

 Clifton Leaf, a senior editor at large at Fortune, is currently writing a book on the war on cancer for Alfred A. Knopf, which is due to be published in early 2008. He also serves on the board of directors for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Previously, he was Executive Editor at Fortune, where he edited a number of the magazine’s major features and, for several years, directed its Wall Street and investing coverage as well. In addition, Cliff has written a number of articles for Fortune, including his 2004 cover story, entitled “Why We’re Losing the War on Cancer (And How to Win It),” which won the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business Journalism, the Henry R. Luce Award for public service, and the NIHCM’s 2005 Health Care Journalism Award. In May 2006, Cliff was honored with Time Warner’s highest recognition for community service, the Andrew Heiskell Award. The Fortune story, which has been cited in more than three dozen articles in prominent scientific journals, continues to spark a vigorous global debate about whether efforts against this disease are properly focused.Cliff, a two-time nominee for the National Magazine Award, presented testimony to the President’s Cancer Panel, and delivered, in January 2006, the prestigious “Grand Rounds” at the National Cancer Institute. In April 2005 he gave a plenary address at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. He has been a keynote or featured speaker at several major medical and scientific conferences, including those sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Urological Association, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, C-Change, the American Radium Society, and the American Society of Preventive Oncology. Last year he addressed the 4^th International Conference on Cancer Prevention, in St. Gallen, Switzerland, gave the inaugural Director Series lecture at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, and a Special Lecture at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He has also served as panelist, moderator, or speaker in numerous cancer forums, including two Capitol Hill “Town Halls” for members of the U.S. Congress and meetings held at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Wake Forest University, and the University of Colorado Cancer Center.Honored by the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship with its 2005 Ribbon of Hope award, Cliff has received leadership awards from Friends of Cancer Research and The Prostate.Net and was named a Highly Commended Journalist last year by the European School of Oncology. He served on an advisory board for the University of California, San Francisco’s prostate cancer (SPORE) grant program and was recently a scientific reviewer for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program at the Department of Defense.Before joining Fortune in February 2000, Cliff was Executive Editor of SmartMoney. Prior to that he held editorial positions at Fitness Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar. He has written for The New York Times and many other national publications, and has been a guest on Charlie Rose, the Today Show, CNN, other television news programs, and National Public Radio. A graduate of Williams College (1985), Cliff later received a Master of Fine Arts in writing from Sarah Lawrence College (1993).