WASHINGTON — A 64-year-old leukemia survivor who has worked extensively on medical, financial and regulatory issues will lead the Obama administration's cancer “moonshot” campaign, Vice President Joe Biden announced Friday.

Greg Simon was named executive director of the Cancer Moonshot Task Force, a newly formed group of several government agencies that is charged with making recommendations on how to advance the understanding of cancer, speed treatments, improve patient care and remove regulatory barriers to new therapies.

Simon previously worked for former Vice President Al Gore, held a high-ranking position at drug giant Pfizer and co-founded FasterCures, a nonprofit backed by philanthropist Michael Milken that works to accelerate the delivery of promising therapies to patients.

Most recently, Simon was chief executive of Poliwogg, a New York-based financial company that focuses on increasing investment in health care, especially in emerging drugs and technologies.

In 2014, the father of two was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a slow-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. The disease occurs when the body produces too many abnormal lymphocytes, making it harder to fight off infection. He was “successfully treated,” the White House said in a statement Friday announcing his appointment.

Ellen Sigal, chairperson and founder of Friends of Cancer Research, which pushes for increased funding for cancer studies, has worked extensively with Simon and considers him a good choice. “He listens, he knows how to bring people together,” she said.

Biden praised Simon's “amazing breadth of experience.” His statement said Simon “will bring an invaluable knowledge of the health care landscape to the task force.”

Biden first called for a “moonshot” effort last fall, months after the death of his son Beau, who had brain cancer. President Barack Obama endorsed the idea during his State of the Union address in January and named Biden to run the campaign.

In a statement, Simon said that, “as a recent cancer patient myself, I am especially humbled that Vice President Biden has given me the chance through this initiative to help cancer patients all over the world.”