W. Kimryn Rathmell (born November 3,1969) is an American physician-scientist whose work focuses on the research and treatment of patients with kidney cancers. She is the 17th Director of the National Cancer Institute,having previously served as the Hugh Jackson Morgan Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC),and Physician-in-Chief for Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital and Clinics in Nashville,Tennessee. [1] On November 17,2023,Rathmell was nominated by President Biden as the next Director of the National Cancer Institute [2] and she assumed office on December 18,2023.
In 1991,Rathmell graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Chemistry. She subsequently earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Biophysics in 1996 under the mentorship of Gilbert Chu,and a Doctor of Medicine (MD) in 1998 from Stanford University. [3] The title of her PhD thesis was "Ku and DNA/PK in the repair of DNA double strand breaks." Following completion of her MD,Rathmell did an Internal Medicine internship at the University of Chicago before attending the University of Pennsylvania where she completed her Internal Medicine residency and Medical Oncology fellowship training. Rathmell completed additional postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania under the mentorship of M. Celeste Simon,PhD,and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) under the mentorship of Terry Van Dyke,PhD. [4] In 2022,she completed a Master of Management in Health Care at the Owen School of Management at Vanderbilt University.
In 2003,Rathmell joined faculty at UNC where she held primary and secondary appointments in the departments of Medicine and Genetics. While there,she served as Co-Director of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Graduate Training Program in Translational Medicine, [5] Associate Director for Training and Education at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center,and Associate Director of the Medical Scientist Training Program.
In 2015,she joined VUMC as Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology, [6] with secondary appointments in the departments of Cancer Biology and Biochemistry. Rathmell was successively named Cornelius Abernathy Craig Professor of Medicine. [7] In 2019,she was named Deputy Director for Research Integration and Career Development at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. She was appointed as the Hugh Jackson Morgan Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief for Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital and Clinics in 2020. [8] She is the second woman to serve as Chair of the Department of Medicine at VUMC,and immediately succeeds Nancy J. Brown.
Rathmell has been actively involved in research related to the genetics and molecular biology of complex renal cancers. A member of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA),her research has resulted in more than 200 articles in leading peer-reviewed journals,including The New England Journal of Medicine ,Nature,and the Journal of Clinical Investigation . [9]
Prior to her appointment as Director,Rathmell served on the National Cancer Institute's Board of Scientific Advisors, [10] the Keystone Symposia's Board of Directors [11] and the Forbeck Foundation Scientific Board of Directors. She is a former associate editor for the Journal of Clinical Investigation,and recently[ when? ] served as senior editor for eLife . She has previously held leadership roles for the American Society of Clinical Oncology,the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (Kidney Cancer Research Program),and the American Society for Clinical Investigation [12] (ASCI),in which she served as secretary-treasurer and society President in 2019-2020. [13]
Rathmell is a 2023 recipient of the Doris Duke Foundation's Paragon Award. [14] She received the 2020 American Association for Cancer Research Team Science Award for TCGA, [15] and the 2019 Eugene P. Schonfeld Award for Outstanding Contributions in Kidney Cancer from the Kidney Cancer Association. [16] Rathmell has been elected to the ASCI, [13] the Association of American Physicians,and as fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. [17]
In recognition of her contributions to kidney cancer research and the advancement of the physician-scientist career path,she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, [18] and in 2023,she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. [19] On December 18,2023 she assumed her role as the Director of the National Cancer Institute.
Rathmell resides in Nashville with her husband,Jeffrey Rathmell,a professor at VUMC and director for the Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology. [20] They have two children.
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is a public academic health science center in Dallas,Texas. With approximately 23,000 employees,more than 3,000 full-time faculty,and nearly 4 million outpatient visits per year,UT Southwestern is the largest medical school in the University of Texas System and the State of Texas.
The Medical Scientist Training Programs (MSTPs) are dual-degree training programs that streamline the education towards both clinical and research doctoral degrees. MSTPs are offered by some United States medical schools,who are awarded financial support from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences,a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The goal of these training programs is to produce physician scientists who can translate laboratory discoveries into effective treatments for patients.
The Doctor of Medicine–Doctor of Philosophy (MD–PhD) is a dual doctoral program for physician–scientists,combining the professional training of the Doctor of Medicine degree with the research program of the Doctor of Philosophy degree.
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) is the graduate medical school of Vanderbilt University,a private research university located in Nashville,Tennessee. The School of Medicine is primarily housed within the Eskind Biomedical Library which sits at the intersection of the Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) campuses and claims several Nobel laureates in the field of medicine. Through the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network,VUSM is affiliated with over 60 hospitals and 5,000 clinicians across Tennessee and five neighboring states which manage more than 2 million patient visits each year. As the home hospital of the medical school,VUMC is considered one of the largest academic medical centers in the United States and is the primary resource for specialty and primary care in hundreds of adult and pediatric specialties for patients throughout the Mid-South.
The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC),previously known as the International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer (iSBTc),is a professional society of scientists,academicians,researchers,clinicians,government representatives,and industry leaders from around the world dedicated to improving outcomes in patients with cancer by advancing the science and application of cancer immunotherapy. Currently,SITC has more than 2,400 members,representing 22 medical specialties from 42 countries around the world,who are engaged in the research and treatment of cancer.
Jeffrey R. Balser is the president and CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM). Balser is a 1990 graduate of the Vanderbilt M.D./Ph.D. program in pharmacology and subsequently completed residency training in anesthesiology and fellowship training in critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins. He continued to work at Johns Hopkins as a cardiac anesthesiologist and ICU physician before returning to Vanderbilt University and joining VUMC in 1998. Balser was appointed dean of the VUSM in 2008 and,the following year,was appointed the vice chancellor for health affairs at Vanderbilt,in charge of the medical center. He became president and CEO of VUMC in 2016 when the medical center became a financially distinct non-profit organization.
Olufunmilayo I. Olopade born in the year 1957,is a Nigerian hematology oncologist,Associate Dean for Global Health and Walter L. Palmer,Distinguished Service Professor in Medicine and Human Genetics at the University of Chicago. She also serves as director of the University of Chicago Hospital's Cancer Risk Clinic.
Consuelo H. Wilkins is an American physician,biomedical researcher,and health equity expert. She is Senior Vice President and Senior Associate Dean for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is a professor of medicine in the Department of Medicine,Division of Geriatrics at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and has a joint appointment at Meharry Medical College. She additionally serves as one of the principal investigators of the Vanderbilt Clinical and Translational Science Award,Director of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Community Engaged Research Core (CTSA) and as vice president for Health Equity at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Norman Edward "Ned" Sharpless is the previous Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Before that,Sharpless was Professor of Medicine and Genetics Chair,Director of University of North Carolina UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center,Molecular Therapeutics,Wellcome Distinguished Professorship in Cancer Research.
Lisa A. Carey is a Distinguished Professor in Breast Cancer Research at UNC School of Medicine,Division Chief of Hematology and Oncology,and physician-in-chief of the N.C. Cancer Hospital,UNC Lineberger's clinical home. She studied at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health,and was named co-chair of the Alliance National Cooperative Group Breast Committee in 2016.
Christine M. Lovly is an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University. Her research involves the development of novel treatment strategies for ALK positive lung cancer.
Wendy Rosamund Brewster was a British-born American gynaecologist who was Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Director of the Center for Women's Health Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
David "Neil" Hayes is an American oncologist and physician–scientist. He is the Van Vleet Endowed Professor in Medical Oncology and the division chief of haematology and oncology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. As a result of his research,Hayes was elected a Member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.
Barney S. Graham is an American immunologist,virologist,and clinical trials physician.
Levi A. Garraway is an American oncologist. His research team was among the first to adapt genomics technologies to enable scalable,high-throughput clinical approaches to cancer gene mutation profiling. As a result,he was inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation,American Association for Cancer Research,and National Academy of Medicine.
Eric Reese Fearon is an American oncologist. He is the Emanuel N. Maisel Professor of Oncology at the University of Michigan and director of the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center.
Karen Marie Winkfield is an American radiation oncologist,physician-scientist,and implementation scientist. She is the Ingram Professor of Cancer Research at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Soma Sengupta is a British-American physician-scientist. She is a specialty board certified neuro-oncologist board certified Neurologist and fellowship-trained in Integrative Medicine. Her clinical interests span treatment of brain tumor patients,integrative approaches in neurology and oncology,as well as healthcare policy. She is a full-time faculty member in the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,where she is a Full Professor,Vice Chair,member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center,and Chief of the Division of Neuro-Oncology. She is also a Bye Fellow at Lucy Cavendish College,University of Cambridge,U.K.
Mary Lou McMaster is an American oncologist and clinical trialist who researches familial cancer genetics. She is a senior clinical trial specialist at the National Cancer Institute and a captain in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
Allison Beck McCoy is an American biomedical informatician focused on clinical informatics/health informatics. She is an associate professor of biomedical informatics and director of the clinical informatics core at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She was elected a fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association and American College of Medical Informatics in 2018 and 2023 respectively.
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