National Comprehensive Cancer Network names new CEO
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Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, FACP, has been named the new CEO of National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Denlinger — who will assume the role on Oct. 9 — will succeed Robert W. Carlson, MD, who is retiring after more than 10 years leading the nonprofit alliance of academic cancer centers.
Denlinger has served as NCCN’s senior vice president and chief scientific officer since January 2021. She previously served as chair of the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Survivorship, and she also served on the Bone, Esophageal/Gastric and Occult Primary Cancers Panel.
“In my years of seeing patients, managing clinical trials and helping to update international, evidence-based standards for care, I have seen tremendous progress in cancer therapy and outcomes,” Denlinger said in a press release. “I am eager to continue serving wherever I can do the most good for the greatest number of people — which is why I am so honored and excited to accept the role of CEO with NCCN. I am grateful to Dr. Carlson — as well as the NCCN board of directors and all of my colleagues — for this opportunity.”
Before joining NCCN full time, Denlinger served as chief of gastrointestinal medical oncology, deputy director of the early drug development phase 1 program, director of the survivorship program and associate professor in the department of hematology/oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center.
“Dr. Denlinger is the perfect person to build on Dr. Carlson’s impressive and enduring work leading this premier oncology organization,” John W. Sweetenham, MD, FRCP, FACP, FASCO, associate director for cancer network clinical affairs at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern, chair of the NCCN board of directors and Chief Medical Editor Emeritus for Healio | HemOnc Today. “She has shown a career-long commitment to improving outcomes and experiences for all people with cancer.
“Dr. Denlinger is beloved throughout NCCN and the larger oncology community,” Sweetenham added. “Her tireless efforts and excellence treating patients, advancing new research, forging partnerships, and advocating on Capitol Hill will help NCCN continue to define and advance high-quality, high-value, patient-centered cancer care globally for years to come.”
Carlson announced his plans to retire in January. During his tenure, the number of NCCN guidelines — designed to provide the latest evidence and expert consensus for treating nearly every type of cancer — increased from 58 to 84. The guidelines had been downloaded 13.3 million times in 2022. The number of NCCN member institutions increased from 21 to 33 during his tenure.
“We will forever be grateful for the passion and expertise Dr. Carlson brought to the role of NCCN CEO, and the tremendous difference he has made in the lives of people with cancer and their loved ones everywhere over the course of his incomparable career,” Sweetenham said. “He matched unwavering commitment to excellence with an equally unwavering commitment to kindness and compassion. This was particularly visible in his work partnering with local experts to make NCCN Guidelines more accessible across countries and regions with differing resource levels.”
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