Dr. Monica Bertagnolli nominated to lead NIH
FODER SOFORTIGE FREIGABE
Kyra Meister
703-836-1746
kyra.meister@preventcancer.org
Photo credit: National Cancer Institute
Alexandria, Va. – President Biden announced this week his intent to nominate Monica Bertagnolli, M.D., FACS, to be the next director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Bertagnolli is currently serving as the director of the National Cancer Institute, the largest agency in the NIH.
Dr. Bertagnolli has valuable firsthand experience as both a cancer surgeon and patient that will serve her well in this role. She was the Richard E. Wilson Professor of Surgery in the Field of Surgical Oncology at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Gastrointestinal Cancer and Sarcoma Disease Centers at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center.
In December 2022, Dr. Bertagnolli announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer following a routine mammogram.
“It’s one thing to know about cancer as a physician, but it is another to experience it firsthand as a patient as well,” she said in a statement released at the time.
The Prevent Cancer Foundation has a long history with Dr. Bertagnolli, who was serving on the Foundation’s board of directors when she was selected as director of NCI. (In order to accept her role at NCI, Dr. Bertagnolli had to resign from all board positions.) She was also a member of the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Medical Advisory Board. In 1997 and 2001, as a relatively junior researcher, Dr. Bertagnolli received funding from the Prevent Cancer Foundation to support young researchers in her lab.
“In our work with Dr. Bertagnolli, we have been able to see up close how committed she is to exploring innovative ideas, supporting early-career researchers, and keeping the patient top of mind. We know her dedication to the patient experience has only deepened after her own journey with cancer,” said Jody Hoyos, CEO of the Prevent Cancer Foundation. “We applaud President Biden for selecting Dr. Bertagnolli for this prestigious appointment and urge a quick nomination and confirmation process so she can begin the process of leading the NIH.”
In 2021, President Biden reignited the Cancer Moonshot, with ambitious goals to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years, improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer and ultimately “end cancer as we know it.” Dr. Bertagnolli has already made great strides in advancing President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot during her time as director of the NCI. The president’s intent to nominate Dr. Bertagnolli to lead the NIH will benefit patients and their families while ushering in a new era of innovation in oncology and across the entire health care continuum.
After President Biden’s nomination, Dr. Bertagnolli will need to be confirmed by the Senate. She would be only the second woman to lead the NIH on a permanent basis.
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Über die Prevent Cancer Foundation®
Die Stiftung Prevent Cancer® Ist die einzigen USA-basierend gemeinnützige Organisation einzig und allein gewidmet Zu Krebs Prävention und frühzeitige Erkennung. Durch Forschung, Bildung, Reichweite und Interessenvertretung, Wir haben unzähligen Menschen geholfen, eine Krebsdiagnose zu vermeiden oder ihren Krebs früh genug zu erkennen, um eine erfolgreiche Behandlung zu ermöglichen. Was uns antreibt eine Vision einer Welt, in der Krebs vermeidbar ist, nachweisbarer und schlagbar für alle.
Die Stiftung stellt sich der Herausforderung, die Zahl der Krebstoten bis 2035 um 40% zu senken. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, wir sind verpflichtet sich, $20 Millionen in innovative Technologien zur Früherkennung von Krebs und zur Mehr-Krebsvorsorge, $10 Millionen zur Ausweitung des Zugangs zu Krebsvorsorge und Impfungen für medizinisch unterversorgte Gemeinden und $10 Millionen, um die Öffentlichkeit über Screening- und Impfmöglichkeiten aufzuklären.
Für weitere Informationen, besuchen Sie bitte www.preventcancer.org.