Newswise — Stanton L. Gerson, MD, became the new president of the Association of American Cancer Institutes during AACI’s annual meeting in Chicago, held October 23-25.

Dr. Gerson is the Asa and Patricia Shiverick- Jane Shiverick (Tripp) Professor of Hematological Oncology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, in Cleveland, OH, founding director of the National Center for Regenerative Medicine, and Distinguished University Professor at Case Western Reserve University. He is also director of University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland and a member of the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors.

At the annual meeting, co-hosted by the Cancer Center Administrators Forum, Dr. Gerson launched his two-year term with a presentation outlining plans for his presidential initiative, which will address a major objective of the Obama Administration’s Cancer Moonshot initiative: Promoting collaborations with researchers, doctors and patients to improve patient outcomes and health care value in the community.

“The need to facilitate this process is especially great at community points of care where access to newer technology, decision-making expertise to handle “omics” and other advanced diagnostics, clinical trials, or multidisciplinary care may lag that available at larger cancer center sites,” Dr. Gerson said.

To meet that challenge, Dr. Gerson proposed marshalling the collaborative and synergistic knowledge and experience of AACI cancer centers to create a model of care that can provide access to patients currently seen in the community.

In coming months AACI will convene a steering committee that will chart the direction of Dr. Gerson’s initiative.

“AACI views as a priority the advancement of integrated patient care, expansion of individual cancer center networks to improve clinical trials access, and working across centers to share best practices,” said AACI Executive Director Barbara Duffy Stewart. “I look forward to Stan’s expanded leadership role with AACI and to supporting his efforts to achieve these goals.”

Dr. Gerson has been an active member of AACI for the past 14 years, including service on the board of directors (2007 - 2009). A graduate of Harvard College [magna cum laude] and Harvard Medical School [cum laude], Dr. Gerson completed his residency and hematology and oncology fellowship training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. As a member of the faculty at Case Western Reserve University he has been involved in the school’s stem cell, hematologic malignancies, and developmental therapeutics programs.

An internationally recognized cancer researcher, Dr. Gerson has been active in the stem cell, hematologic malignancies and developmental therapeutics programs. He has received multiple NIH grants and has published more than 236 articles, 270 abstracts, and 37 book chapters. He also has received 18 patents for stem cell and drug discoveries.

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The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) comprises 96 premier academic and freestanding cancer research centers in the U.S. and Canada. AACI is dedicated to reducing the burden of cancer by enhancing the impact of the leading academic cancer centers.