NCI Transition

From the Desk of Dr. Louis M. Weiner

Director, Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center

Greetings on a snowy winter weekend, as we gird for an arctic blast this coming week.

It was wonderful to welcome Dr. Patricia LoRusso as our in-person Grand Rounds speaker on Friday. She is an inspiring role model. Speaking of that…

At the conclusion of her presentation, I received a message that Dr. Kimryn Rathmell has resigned as NCI Director, less than one year after assuming that position. In her brief tenure, Dr. Rathmell brought a unique combination of expertise, visionary strategic thinking and empathy to her job. I simply cannot imagine a better and more effective NCI Director. We will never know the heights to which NCI might have ascended had she been afforded the customary opportunity to execute her vision. I can only hope that her eventual successor recognizes and embraces her vision and sustains NCI’s excellence for the foreseeable future.

I also hope that the impending arctic blast is not a metaphor for the future of cancer research.

Make the world a better place this week.

Lou

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