W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD
President Joe Biden named W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, the 17th director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Dr. Rathmell succeeds Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, who is now serving as the 17th director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Prior to her new role with NCI, Dr. Rathmell led the Vanderbilt University Medical Center as both the physician-in-chief and chair of the Department of Medicine. Dr. Rathmell is a physician-scientist, educator, and oncologist, specializing in kidney cancer.
In addition to her leadership at Vanderbilt, Dr. Rathmell founded a non-profit organization, RMC Alliance, which advocates for patients with renal medullary carcinoma (RMC), a rare cancer commonly seen in Black individuals with sickle cell trait.
Dr. Rathmell has held other leadership positions throughout her career with the NIH Cancer Genome Atlas, NCI Board of Scientific Advisors, and the Department of Defense Kidney Cancer Research Program. Other recognitions include being elected president of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, winning the 2021 American Association for Cancer Research Team Science Award, and being inducted into several national medical associations and academies.
“Dr. Rathmell is the talented and visionary leader the [NCI] needs to drive us toward ending cancer as we know it,” President Biden said in a press release. “Throughout her career, she has been committed to advancing discovery through scientific research, maintaining a steadfast commitment to caring for her patients, and demonstrating leadership in preparing the next generation of researchers.”
Source: The White House, November 17, 2023.
