Kimryn Rathmell Named NCI Director
August 6, 2024
Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, MMHC, the former chair of the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), became director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) on Dec. 18, 2023.
Rathmell became the NCI’s 17th director and only the second woman to hold this position leading the nation’s fight against cancer. She was chosen to serve in this role by President Joe Biden.
“I am thrilled with Dr. Rathmell’s appointment as our nation’s leader in the war on cancer — a tremendous honor for her and for Vanderbilt,” said Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of VUMC and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “Her contributions have been extraordinary, advancing cancer research with her colleagues in the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and through leadership as the chair of our Department of Medicine. I am confident Dr. Rathmell will have an enormous impact on the NCI and on the lives of millions who are fighting to survive cancer.”
Rathmell, as director of the NCI, leads the National Cancer Program and the National Institutes of Health’s efforts to dramatically reduce the prevalence of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. With a fiscal year budget of $7.3 billion and comprised of approximately 3,500 employees, the NCI is the largest funder of cancer research in the world.
“As an oncologist and cancer researcher, the opportunities for cancer right now are incredible. The technology is at a place where we can do more to understand cancer in a way we never, ever could before. The advances, while they may seem slow to some people, are happening at a breakneck pace and continue to go faster. And to have a president who is supportive of cancer research and making a real impact on the burden of cancer, it’s like the stars have aligned,” Rathmell said. “We need more funding for cancer research, but I’m very enthusiastic about what we can do.”
Rathmell joined the faculty of Vanderbilt University and VUMC in 2015 as director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology. After serving in a series of increasingly responsible leadership roles, she was named as the ninth chair of the Department of Medicine in 2020 after serving as interim chair.
She is an internationally recognized physician-scientist whose career has spanned molecular biology research in the pathogenesis of kidney cancer; nationally funded large-scale genomic studies of cancer; clinical investigations bringing new biomarkers, imaging modalities and therapies to patient care; graduate and medical education; and as a national advocate for physician-scientist trainees, ethical treatment of drug shortages, equitable conflict of interest policies in publishing, and rare or heritable forms of kidney cancer.
As a clinician Rathmell has ushered in new lifesaving treatments and is a leader who has advocated for funding for kidney cancer research, including as a champion for rare subtypes of kidney cancer. She is the author of more than 250 peer-reviewed original articles, review articles, books and chapters and a frequently invited guest speaker on topics ranging from kidney cancer biology and cancer metabolism to academic leadership skills development.
“I think one of the biggest assets I can bring to the NCI is my experience learning from and working with medical scientists and clinicians in areas outside of cancer,” Rathmell said. “The broader perspective, and the range of work we can do to improve human health, is the secret sauce of the Department of Medicine.
“I immensely value working with all aspects of the department and with departments across the Medical Center, and I plan to bring the broad perspective, insatiable curiosity, and strong collaborative culture we have here to the NCI and beyond. I can’t emphasize enough how much I have learned from the incredibly talented people we have here at VUMC, and I will take that with me as I transition to this new role,” she said on accepting the position.