Biden announces intention to appoint Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, as first woman to lead NCI
President Joe Biden today officially announced his intention to appoint Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, as NCI director.
Bertagnolli — who will be the first woman to serve in this capacity — is Richard E. Wilson professor of surgery in the field of surgical oncology at Harvard Medical School, as well as member of the gastrointestinal cancer and sarcoma disease centers at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center.
Bertagnolli also serves as group chair of the NCI-funded Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology.
“I look forward to working with Dr. Bertagnolli to advance the president’s call to end cancer as we know it,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a White House-issued press release. “Dr. Bertagnolli’s decades of cancer research expertise around patient-centered care and her work to create more inclusive clinical trials will be instrumental as we accelerate the rate of research and innovation to fight cancer.”
The press release cited Bertagnolli’s “history of advancing patient-focused programs that incorporate learnings directly from patient experiences to build more inclusive models of care.”
News of Biden’s choice of Bertagnolli as NCI director broke last month.
As Healio previously reported, the nomination won praise from leaders of several cancer organizations, including ASCO, American Association for Cancer Research and American Cancer Society. To read that story, click here.