Cancer center director to step down

Max S. Wicha, MD, founding director of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, announced he will step down from the position he held for 27 years.

“It has been my honor and privilege to lead the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center over all of these years, as it has developed into one of the leading cancer centers in the nation,” Wicha said in a press release.

Wicha founded the University of Michigan’s Cancer Center in 1986 and guided it to its first NCI cancer center designation in 1988.

He led the cancer center through six NCI Cancer Center Support Grant renewals since then. The University of Michigan’s grant and “comprehensive cancer center” status were most recently renewed in 2011 with an “outstanding” rating.

“These attributes position us well to meet the challenges generated by the rapidly changing landscape in health care delivery,” Wicha said. “Over the past 25 years, we have witnessed remarkable advances in science and technology that hold the promise of revolutionizing cancer treatment. The Comprehensive Cancer Center is well positioned to remain at the forefront of this revolution.”

Wicha’s decision has been timed to allow for a new center director to prepare for the next core grant renewal in 2016.

A national search to identify a new center director is expected to take about a year.

Following the selection of a new director, Wicha will continue both his clinical practice and his active research lab, which has grown to include about 30 people. His team’s cancer stem cell research has advanced into testing of anti-stem cell compounds in clinical trials as potential new therapies for advanced cancer.