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Leadership Update from Cheryl Willman, M.D., and Jolene Summer Bolster
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Dear Colleagues,
As we announced last year, the creation of a new governance and leadership structure is the first transformative step in our intent to position Mayo Clinic Cancer Center as the global authority in cancer. By serving as an inclusive Cancer Center without walls, a convening and collaborative meeting space, we will build upon all of the strengths and opportunities across Mayo Clinic to integrate research and practice, drive scientific discovery, and deliver the finest advanced and complex cancer care to the patients and communities we serve. By building leadership teams which span all of our shields and missions, we will move boldly forward into a future without limits, pushing the envelope with continual innovations in cancer research, practice, education and training, and community engagement.
Please join us in congratulating the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center leaders below, who will begin their roles July 1, 2022.
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Stephen M. Ansell, M.D., Ph.D., has been named Enterprise Deputy Director and Senior Deputy Director, Midwest.
Dr. Ansell has been a Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic since 2010 and has national and international renown in the study of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. His basic and clinical research has focused on translating findings in the lab to clinical practice by developing novel therapies for patients. He has run a basic science laboratory at Mayo Clinic for the past 20 years and has received continuous peer-reviewed funding from both the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and various foundations. His work has been recognized by Mayo Clinic and is supported by a base budget. Dr. Ansell has been the principal investigator on more than 30 clinical trials, which have included early-phase first-in-human studies, testing therapies directed at new targets identified in his laboratory, and multi-institutional phase 2 studies validating promising initial results. This work has led to more than 500 peer-reviewed publications. Most recently, Dr. Ansell was awarded the Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize from the American Society of Hematology for translational and clinical research.
Dr. Ansell serves on the Academic Affairs Committee of Mayo Clinic International and is the Chair of the Research Subcommittee for Mayo Clinic International. He co-leads the Hematological Malignancies Program and chairs the three-site Lymphoma Disease Group in the Cancer Center. Dr. Ansell is also the recently appointed Chair of the Division of Hematology in the Department of Medicine. His leadership will be focused on three main themes: visibility, innovation and strategy, and development and mentoring. The expertise and quality of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center will be prioritized as we increase national and international visibility, supported by rigorous strategies to ensure alignment across all sites as well as the NCI. Along with Dr. Willman and other Cancer Center leaders, Dr. Ansell plans to position Mayo Clinic Cancer Center as the premier cancer center, with a global impact, by 2030. It will be equally important to develop the next generation of researchers, clinical trialists, and key opinion leaders, so he has acknowledged the need expand our mentorship infrastructure with a clear path to participation in the Cancer Center, funding to support and educate trainees and junior faculty, and a strategy to promote a culture committed to developing the next generation of scientists and clinicians.
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Roxana Dronca, M.D., has been named Director, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Florida Cancer Programs. Dr. Dronca is an Associate Professor (Professor effective August 1) of Oncology, Chair of the Mayo Clinic Division of Hematology/Oncology, and a Consultant in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Dr. Dronca also serves as a member of the Florida Executive Operations Team (FEOT). Dr. Dronca has been an active member of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center since 2011, a member of the Southeast Cancer Coordinating Committee since 2018 and has also served as the Vice-Chair of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Council for Minority Participation in Cancer Research. Her research interests are in the field of tumor immunology, genitourinary malignancies, and malignant melanoma. Dr. Dronca has received federal funding in support of her research for identifying biomarkers of response to novel immune checkpoint inhibitors, in collaboration with Dr. Haidong Dong. Dr. Dronca has also served as the Mayo Clinic principal investigator on multiple clinical trials, including the phase I and phase II clinical trials with the anti-PD-1 agent Pembrolizumab (formerly MK-3475) which ultimately led to the FDA approval of this agent for the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma. Dr. Dronca's research efforts have resulted in over 70 peer-reviewed papers to date, four book chapters, several editorials, commentaries and other contributions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Dronca became involved in the development and launch of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Care at Home program which strives to create a new model of cancer care that integrates telehealth and digital technologies with traditional models of cancer therapy. The goal is to continue to provide high-quality cancer care that is responsive to the diversity of our communities and patient mix, inclusive of people from all racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds and be committed to address patient access into our facilities and mitigate health disparities. For this work, Dr. Dronca has received Department of Defense in collaboration with Dr. Folakemi Odedina, as well as private Foundation funding.
Along with Dr. Willman and other Cancer Center leaders, Dr. Dronca plans to position the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center as the nation’s top cancer center with NCI recognition for the comprehensive nature of our research, clinical care, education, and community outreach programs. As we align the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center vision with the Cure. Connect. Transform 2030 strategy, it will be important to lead in the development and translation of scientific knowledge from laboratory discoveries into new treatments for cancer, serve our local communities with programs and research tailored to their unique needs, and offer superior educational programs that ensure the success of the next generation of medical, scientific, and allied health professionals. The investments that Mayo Clinic has made in cellular therapy translational research and advanced biomanufacturing, as well as high linear energy therapeutics will allow us to continue to be at the forefront of the way we deliver these treatments to patients with cancer, and to develop a platform of personalized treatment options. Dr. Dronca will continue the development of the Virtual Cancer Center model and understands the equal importance of building upon our existing digital infrastructure, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, and maintaining strong alignment with the Rochester and Arizona cancer practices.
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Alan Bryce, M.D., will serve as Acting Director, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Arizona Cancer Programs, as he continues his role as chair of the Southwest Cancer Coordinating Committee. Dr. Bryce is an Associate Professor of Medicine and serves as chair of the Hematology/Oncology Division in Arizona, as well as the enterprise Genitourinary Cancers disease group. He is a member of the NIH NCI Prostate Cancer Task force and has recently joined the NCCN prostate cancer panel. He studies novel therapeutics and cancer genetics with a focus on prostate cancer. His early work in genetically selected therapy with colleagues in Arizona predated the creation of the Center for Individualized Medicine and included the first cancer patients at Mayo Clinic whose tumors were treated under single-patient investigational new drugs (INDs) based on genomic identification of previously unrecognized therapeutic targets. He has established prostate cancer as a major component of the early therapeutics in Arizona, including leading the interface with the FDA on the development plan for PT-112, a novel inducer of immunogenic cell death that is now being tested in an international phase 2 study that he leads. He is also the international PI of the Phase 3 Triton 3 study, a registration trial of rucaparib in prostate cancer that is expected to read out late in 2022. Dr. Bryce was awarded the 2021 Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine Researcher of the Year award for his clinical trial of Camostat Mesilate for hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Camostat Mesilate is an inhibitor of TMPRSS2 for which Dr. Bryce holds the first U.S. FDA IND approval for a drug that was previously only available overseas. This study was written, awarded the IND approval, and opened at Mayo Clinic and other sites in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The biospecimens from this study are now supporting multiple laboratory efforts.
Dr. Bryce has a long-standing commitment to reducing health disparities and increasing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in Arizona. In his new role, a core aim will be to improve community outreach and patient access. He is a vocal advocate of the immense potential of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Arizona and has defined a vision to grow our Arizona site into a cancer center that meets all National Cancer Institute criteria, for research, practice, education and training, and community engagement. In addition to supporting the success of the existing staff, he plans to recruit additional discovery scientists to Arizona, increase the institutional focus on the specific burden of cancer in Arizona, grow collaborations with Arizona State University, and develop a Data Science program based in Arizona for Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, and optimize the processes and infrastructure to support clinical trials.
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