Developing and Retaining a Robust and Diverse Cancer Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities Across the National Cancer Program | September 12-13, 2024

The cancer workforce, comprising healthcare professionals and researchers at all training levels, plays a fundamental role in advancing cancer research, delivering high-quality cancer care, and improving cancer outcomes. However, across the National Cancer Program, the workforce faces numerous challenges that may undermine the quality of cancer care and research. These challenges include staff shortages, clinician burnout, low retention rates in both academic and community settings, lack of diversity, and uneven distribution of oncology professionals across the United States. Collaborative efforts involving government, academia, and the private sector are critical to sustain and support the cancer workforce to meet the growing needs of current and future patients.

On September 12-13, 2024, the President’s Cancer Panel hosted two public virtual meetings to assess workforce challenges and identify approaches to improve training, recruitment, and retention of a robust and diverse clinical care and research workforce. This topic aligns with and supports the National Cancer Plan goal to Optimize the Workforce. These meetings will inform the Panel’s report to the President of the United States, highlighting opportunities to support the development of the next generation of clinicians, researchers, and other healthcare professionals critical to shaping the future of cancer care.

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Part 1: Clinical Care Workforce

Date: September 12, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. EDT
Recording: View Part 1

Part 2: Research Workforce

Date: September 13, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. EDT
Recording: View Part 2

September 12, Part 1: Agenda

Time	Agenda Item
11:00 - 11:45 a.m.	Welcome & Introductions
11:45 - 11:55 a.m.	Innovation In Partnerships/Retaining A Diverse Cancer Workforce Springboard Presenter: Laura Long, Kaiser Permanente VP Of Operations, Performance, And Compliance With National Equity, Inclusion, And Diversity
11:55 – 12:45 p.m.	Investing & Supporting Health-Sector Careers (Focus: Physicians, Nurses And Advanced Practice Providers) Springboard Presenter: Larissa Nekhlyudov, Harvard Medical School/Brigham And Women’s Hospital
12:45 – 1:10 p.m.	Break
1:10 – 2:00 p.m.	Investing & Supporting Health-Sector Careers (Focus: Lab Techs, Medical Assistants, Navigators, And Others) Springboard Presenter: Tbd
2:00 – 2:50 p.m.	Strengthening Healthcare Environments To Promote Workforce Retention & Well-Being Springboard Presenter: Ishawaria Subbiah, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Executive Director For Cancer Care Equity And Professional Wellness
2:50 – 3:15 p.m.	Break
3:15 – 4:05 p.m.	Leveraging Technology to Improve Care Delivery Springboard Presenter: Othman Laraki, CEO Of Color Health
3:15 – 4:05 p.m.	Public Comments
4:15 – 4:30 p.m.	Meeting Close

September 12, Part 1: Participants

Name	Title & Affiliations
Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, FAACR, FACP, FAAAS, FAIO President’s Cancer Panel Chair	Deputy Director, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center Co-Director, Gastrointestinal Cancers Program Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
Mitchel S. Berger, MD, FACS, FAANS President’s Cancer Panel Member	Director, Brain Tumor Research Center School of Medicine University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA
Carol L. Brown, MD, FACS President’s Cancer Panel Member	Senior Vice President Chief Health Equity Officer Nicholls-Biondi Chair for Health Equity Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, New York
Samantha Finstad, PhD Executive Secretary	Program Director Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives National Cancer Institute Bethesda, Maryland
Elisa Arespacochaga, MBA	Vice President, Clinical Affairs and Workforce American Hospital Association Washington, District of Columbia
Alexandra Brown, MD	Chief Officer of Medical Quality American Society for Clinical Pathology Chicago, Illinois
Colleen A. Campbell, PhD, MS, LGC	President National Society of Genetic Counselors Assistant Director Iowa Institute of Human Genetics UIHC Director of Genetic Counseling Operations Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Iowa City, Iowa
James Fitzgibbon, DPT, MBA	President, Regional School Administrator Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences Richmond, California
Atul Grover, MD, PhD, FACP, FCCP	Inaugural Executive Director Research and Action Institute Washington, District of Columbia
Clifford Hudis, MD, FACP, FASCO	Chief Executive Officer American Society of Clinical Oncology and Association for Clinical Oncology Executive Vice Chair Conquer Cancer, The ASCO Foundation Alexandria, Virginia
Kim Jay	Training Manager and Senior Community Health Worker Sinai Urban Health Institute Chicago, Illinois
Othman Laraki	Chief Executive Officer Color Health Burlingame, California
Jessica MacIntyre, DNP, MBA, APRN, AOCNP	President Oncology Nursing Society Executive Director, Clinical Operations Nurse Practitioner Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Miami, Florida
William McDade, MD, PhD	Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Adjunct Professor of Anesthesiology Rush Medical College Chicago, Illinois
Larissa Nekhlyudov, MD, MPH	Professor of Medicine Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School Clinical Director, Internal Medicine for Cancer Survivors Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, Massachusetts
Millicent K. Ruffin, PhD	Senior Director, Community Impact and Investment Corning, Incorporated Corning, New York
Christine Schuyler, BSN, RN, MHA	Program Director, Health Care Initiatives, Workforce Development Jamestown Community College Jamestown, New York
Jolynn Sessions, PharmD, BCOP, CCP, FHOPA	President Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association Asheville, North Carolina
Lawrence N. Shulman, MD, MACP, FASCO	Professor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine Director, Center for Global Cancer Medicine Associate Director, Abramson Cancer Center University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia,, Pennsylvania
Ishwaria Subbiah, MD, MS, FASCO	Executive Director Cancer Care Equity and Professional Wellness Sarah Cannon Research Institute Medical Director, Supportive Care Oncology, Health Equity & Professional Well-being US Oncology Network Nashville, Tennessee
Caroline Sutter	Co-Director Center for Health Workforce at Mason Professor of Nursing George Mason University College of Public Health School of Nursing Fairfax, Virginia
Arti Patel Varanasi, PhD, MPH, CPH	President and Chief Executive Officer Advancing Synergy Baltimore, Maryland
Robert A. Winn, MD	Director and Lipman Chair in Oncology VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Senior Associate Dean for Cancer Innovation and Professor of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine VCU School of Medicine Richmond, Virginia

September 13, Part 2: Agenda

Time	Agenda Item
11:00 - 11:45 a.m.	Welcome & Introductions
11:45 - 11:55 a.m.	Creative Partnerships/Diversity In Clinical Trials Awards Program Springboard Presenter: Robert Winn, Vcu Massey Cancer Center Director
11:55 – 12:45 p.m.	Entry To The Research Workforce & Career Advancements Springboard Presenter: Nathan Vanderford, University Of Kentucky Medical School
12:45 – 1:10 p.m.	Break
1:10 – 2:00 p.m.	Research Training Needs & Mechanisms For Basic & Clinical Researchers Springboard Presenter: Oliver Bogler, National Cancer Institute, Center For Cancer Training CCT
2:00 – 2:50 p.m.	Perspectives For The Research Workforce In Non-Academic Settings Springboard Presenter: Johanna Bendell, Roche Global Head Of Oncology, Pharma Research And Early Development
2:50 – 3:15 p.m.	Break
3:15 – 4:05 p.m.	Collaborative Cross-Sector Opportunities For Improving Oncology Research Training
3:15 – 4:05 p.m.	Public Comments
4:15 – 4:30 p.m.	Meeting Close

September 13, Part 2: Participants

Name	Title & Affiliations
Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, FAACR, FACP, FAAAS, FAIO President’s Cancer Panel Chair	Deputy Director, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center Co-Director, Gastrointestinal Cancers Program Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
Mitchel S. Berger, MD, FACS, FAANS President’s Cancer Panel Member	Director, Brain Tumor Research Center School of Medicine University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA
Carol L. Brown, MD, FACS President’s Cancer Panel Member	Senior Vice President Chief Health Equity Officer Nicholls-Biondi Chair for Health Equity Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, New York
Samantha Finstad, PhD Executive Secretary	Program Director Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives National Cancer Institute Bethesda, Maryland
Johanna Bendell, MD	Global Head, Pharma Research and Early Development Oncology Roche Basel, Switzerland
Oliver Bogler, PhD	Director, Center for Cancer Training National Cancer Institute Bethesda, Maryland
Callisia Clarke, MD, MS, FACS	Chief, Division of Surgical Oncology Associate Professor of Surgery Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Behrous Davani, PhD	Branch Director, Diversity Training and Biomedical Workforce Center for Cancer Health Equity, National Cancer Institute Bethesda, Maryland
Julie Louise Gerberding, MD, MPH	President and Chief Executive Officer Foundation for the National Institutes of Health North Bethesda, Maryland
Jennifer M. Gillette, PhD	Regents’ Lecturer Peter A. Winograd Professor & Senior Director for Research Department of Pathology Associate Director, Cancer Research Training and Education Director, University of New Mexico Cancer-PREP University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center Director, Undergraduate Pipeline Network School of Medicine Research Education Office University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center Albuquerque, New Mexico
Steve Grambow, PhD	Director, Duke Clinical Research Training Program Co-Director, Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute Workforce Development Pillar Associate Chair of Education and Associate Professor Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Duke University School of Medicine Durham, North Carolina
Bianca Islam, MD, PhD, MSc	National Institute of Health T32 Research Fellow Case Western Reserve University Harrington Physician Scientist Program Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fellow, Division of Gastroenterology & Liver Disease Department of Medicine University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center Cleveland, Ohio
Heather H. Pierce, JD, MPH	Senior Director for Science Policy Regulatory Counsel Association of American Medical Colleges Washington, District of Columbia
Brian M. Rivers, PhD, MPH	Director, Cancer Health Equity Institute Professor, Community Health and Preventive Medicine Morehouse School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia
Gadi Saarony, MBA	Chief Executive Officer Advarra Newton Centre, Massachusetts
Joel Schildbach, PhD	Program Director, Division of Graduate Education National Science Foundation Professor of Biology Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland
Carolyn Seyss, PharmD, RUCIF	Fellowship Director and RPIF Alumna Institute for Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Piscataway, New Jersey
Mariana Stern, PhD	Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences & Urology Ira Goodman Chair in Cancer Research Associate Director of Population Sciences, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Program Director, Master’s Degree Programs in Epidemiology Program Director, CaRE2 Health Equity Center Los Angeles, California
Nathan L. Vanderford, PhD, MBA	Associate Professor, Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology Director, Appalachian Career Training in Oncology Program Director of Administration, Center for Cancer and Metabolism Assistant Director of Pathway Programs and Student Success, Markey Cancer Center University of Kentucky College of Medicine Lexington, Kentucky
Eric Winer, MD, FASCO	Alfred Gilman Professor of Pharmacology Professor of Medicine Director, Yale Cancer Center President and Physician-in Chief, Smilow Cancer Hospital Deputy Dean for Cancer Research, Yale School of Medicine New Haven, Connecticut
Robert A. Winn, MD	Director and Lipman Chair in Oncology VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Senior Associate Dean for Cancer Innovation and Professor of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine VCU School of Medicine Richmond, Virginia

Get Involved

The National Cancer Plan underscores the significant role of every organization and individual in our shared mission to end cancer as we know it. We encourage you to take part in this important initiative by sharing with us how your organization is committed to achieving the goals of the National Cancer Plan. Please email us at PresCancerPanel@mail.nih.gov or share your activities on social media by tagging your posts with #NationalCancerPlan and #Every1HasARole.