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VIDEO: University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center names new director
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CHICAGO — Michael J. Birrer, MD, PhD, discusses his new role as director of University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center at the ASCO Annual Meeting.
Birrer, whose tenure begins Aug. 1, currently serves as director of the Gillette Center for Gynecologic Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, a leader of the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center program in gynecologic cancers, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
In particular, Birrer said he most looks forward to setting and achieving goals for the institution.
“The real goal is to take an outstanding cancer center and bring it to the next level,” Birrer said. “Part of that is going to be extending and bolstering the clinical trial structure. We would love to have cutting edge, molecularly targeted clinical trials throughout the South. I think we’re going to be expanding in the developing precision medicine effort, which is already there, but I think can get even better.
“Finally, there will be a lot of recruitment and hiring for laboratory-based scientists and outstanding clinicians within the hematology and oncology division,” Birrer added. – by Kristie L. Kahl
Disclosure: Birrer reports no relevant financial disclosures.