Newswise — PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [March 28, 2019] — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) today announced the election of Ronald Walters, MD, to the role of Chair of the Board of Directors, while Ruth O’Regan, MD, was named Vice Chair.
“Defining and advancing high-quality, high-value, patient-centered cancer care globally requires input and oversight from experts across the cancer care continuum. Our board of directors—representing all 28 of the top academic cancer centers that make up our alliance—provides essential leadership and guidance on how NCCN can best help people with cancer to live better lives,” said Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. “We are incredibly honored to have these two internationally-respected physicians providing strong leadership and stewardship of our mission and vision going forward.”
Dr. Walters is Associate Head for the Institute for Cancer Care Innovation, and a Breast Cancer Oncologist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, among other roles. He’s been a member of the board for NCCN since 2012, and has served on the NCCN executive committee since 2016. He focuses on healthcare reform and system changes to improve quality and address rising costs.
“NCCN’s mission aligns perfectly with my personal efforts to make sure people with cancer everywhere receive high-quality care,” said Dr. Walters. “I’m honored to take on an even larger role in ensuring providers can utilize NCCN Guidelines and best practice standards to elevate care worldwide.”
Dr. O’Regan is the Division Head of Hematology and Oncology and Associate Director for Clinical Research at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center. She is an internationally-recognized breast cancer physician whose research is focused on identifying new therapies for triple negative breast cancer.
“Working closely with NCCN gives me opportunities to further impact cancer care by helping the organization to share reliable information that keeps clinicians everywhere up-to-date on the latest life-saving research,” said Dr. O’Regan. “The NCCN Guidelines are the most frequently-updated medical guidelines in any medical discipline, and they’re all available for free online. I look forward to helping NCCN continue to enhance everything they have to offer the oncology community.”
Drs. Walters and O’Regan succeed Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, from Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine and Jan C. Buckner, MD, from Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, outgoing Chair and Vice-Chair, respectively, both of whose contributions to NCCN have been invaluable and greatly appreciated. Board Treasurer Patrick J. O’Brien, MBA, from Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Secretary Lori C. Pickens, MHA, from Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital continue as officers of the Board of Directors.
About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) is a not-for-profit alliance of 28 leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, efficient, and accessible cancer care so patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. By defining and advancing high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers around the world.
The NCCN Member Institutions are: Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH; City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, and Rochester, MN; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO; University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN; and Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital, New Haven, CT.
Clinicians, visit NCCN.org. Patients and caregivers, visit NCCN.org/patients. Media, visit NCCN.org/news. Follow NCCN on Twitter @NCCNnews and Facebook @National.Comprehensive.Cancer.Network.
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