W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, took the helm as the 17th Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), on December 18, 2023. A renowned kidney cancer expert and influential leader in cancer research and patient care, Dr. Rathmell was selected by President Joseph Biden to succeed Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, past ASCO President, who left the NCI to become NIH Director on November 9, 2023. Douglas R. Lowy, MD, who was serving as NCI’s Acting Director, has resumed his role as principal Deputy Director of the NCI and is continuing his work as Chief of the Laboratory of Cellular Oncology in NCI’s Center for Cancer Research.
W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD
Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO
Xavier Becerra
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra commented: “Dr. Rathmell begins her new role at an important time. The President and First Lady reignited the Biden Cancer MoonshotSM to dramatically accelerate progress in the fight against cancer—and NCI is helping to lead the charge. Dr. Rathmell brings decades of experience helping to advance research and drive innovation to improve care for patients. She joins an extraordinary team already doing great work to prevent, detect, and treat cancer to make sure Americans are living longer, healthier lives.”
“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Rathmell to NIH, and I know she is the right leader at the right time for NCI,” said Dr. Bertagnolli. “She is a fantastic combination of researcher and clinician who deeply understands the process of translating lab research into effective cancer treatments. NCI is in great hands to actualize the brighter future we all want for people with cancer.”
Accomplished Physician-Scientist
Dr. Rathmell comes to the NCI from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where she served as the Hugh Jackson Morgan Chair in Medicine, Chair of the Department of Medicine, and Physician-in-Chief. Before joining Vanderbilt University, she served on the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Rathmell is an accomplished physician-scientist, from treating patients with renal cell carcinoma to conducting research that has advanced how scientists understand the molecular and genetic drivers of the disease. Further, as an advocate for research into rare types of kidney cancer, such as renal medullary carcinoma (RMC), Dr. Rathmell cofounded the nonprofit organization RMC Alliance. This organization supports patients with this kidney cancer, which tat predominantly affects young adults and adolescents of African descent who carry one copy of the sickle cell hemoglobin gene.
In addition to publishing hundreds of scientific articles about her research studies, Dr. Rathmell has published on ethical issues such as cancer drug shortages and conflicts of interest in scientific publishing. Beyond her research interests, she is deeply committed to mentoring and developing the next generation of physician-scientists.
“I have held NCI in the highest regard throughout my experience as a cancer researcher, translational investigator, practicing clinician, and educator,” said Dr. Rathmell. “This opportunity to help the institute achieve greater heights for progress against cancer is an incredible honor.
“With all of today’s advances in technology and science, and the truly talented and committed people at NCI and across the cancer research and care community, I believe it is possible to end cancer as we know it in our lifetime,” she continued. “We must empower early-career and established scientists from diverse backgrounds, so they can work together and break down barriers to deliver the biggest, boldest science possible and produce advances that benefit everyone who faces cancer. We have an extraordinarily talented and committed workforce, and I know we are up to the challenge.”
Professional Experience
Dr. Rathmell, who will lead the NCI in pursuing the goals of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative, has served on the NCI’s Board of Scientific Advisors since 2018. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2022 and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2023. She served as President of the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2019.
Dr. Rathmell earned a PhD in biophysics and an MD from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. She completed an internal medicine internship at the University of Chicago and a residency and fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In 2022, she completed a Master of Management in Health Care from Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
