A noted leukemia doctor and researcher has been named the new director of the University of Illinois at Chicago Cancer Center.

University of Illinois at Chicago officials say Dr. Howard Ozer will take over the job permanently.

He has served as interim director since January 2011. Ozer is known for his research involving leukemia and lymphoma, and joined the UIC faculty in 2010 as an oncology professor and chief of hematology/oncology.

Ozer previously was section chief of the hematology/oncology section at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

UIC officials say Ozer is uniquely qualified to help the center move forward, including helping to obtain a formal Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute.

Officials say such a designation would help the university advance its scientific excellence and prestige.