This morning President Biden announced his intention to nominate Dr. Monica Bertagnolli as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) the world’s preeminent biomedical research organization. The President said ” Dr. Bertagnolli has spent her career pioneering scientific discovery and pushing the boundaries of what is possible to improve cancer prevention and treatment for patients, and ensuring that patients in every community have access to quality care.
As Director of the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Bertagnolli has advanced my Cancer Moonshot to end cancer as we know it. She has brought together partners and resources from different sectors to launch groundbreaking efforts in cancer prevention and early detection, a national navigation program for childhood cancers, and additional programs to bring clinical trials to more Americans.”
President Joe Biden launches Cancer Moonshot from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston September 12, 2022
Revisiting Dr.Bertagnolli’s appointment to be the Director of the National Cancer Institute, she’s been a stellar leader with the ability to navigate between concentric orbits of advancing medical care. The doctor has distinguished herself in every out-of-this-world ambitious position she’s held. Here’s a quick look back at a STP-News review of her appointmentby the White House to NCI-Director last August.
“President Biden announced the appointment of Monica Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO to be the next Director of the National Cancer Institute. She will be the 16th Director and the first woman to lead this organization of global significance.”
Dr. Bertagnolli joins NCI as one of President Biden’s signature initiatives, ‘Cancer Moonshot ‘ which sets bold new goals to reduce cancer death rates by at least 50% in the United States over the next 50 years.
Monica Bertagnolli served as the chief of Surgical Oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute from 2007-2018. She’s currently a professor of oncology surgery at Harvard Medical School, a member of the gastrointestinal Cancer and Sarcoma Disease Center at the Dana Farber / Brigham and Woman’s Hospital. She is also the CEO of Alliance Foundation Trialsm LLC, a not-for-profit corporation that conducts international cancer clinical trials.
This pioneer in medicine has dedicated her life to improving the lives of patients and their loved ones living with cancer. At the Brigham and Woman’s Hospital, Dr. Bertagnolli said she is “incredibly humbled to have the opportunity to serve as the next director of the National Cancer Institute.” She looks forward to bringing hope to the entire cancer community through the work of NCI.
As Dr. Bertagnolli and her team of all-stars move on to her next appointment as Director the National Institute of Health they fly with our collective hopes for a cure to cancer.