Leadership, Planning and Evaluation

Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester MN

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

LEADERSHIP, PLANNING AND EVALUATION: ABSTRACT Following the prior 2018 NCI P30 CCSG Site Visit, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center (MCCCC) underwent significant leadership and structural changes. Robert Diasio, MD, ended his 13-year tenure as MCCCC Director in 2019 with Rafael Fonseca, MD serving as Interim Director (2019-2021). In 2021, following a national search, Cheryl L. Willman, MD was appointed as the 5th Director in MCCCC’s 50-year history, with significantly elevated and expanded authorities and responsibilities. Willman was appointed in the new roles of Executive Director of Mayo Clinic Cancer Programs and Executive Director of MCCCC, with authorities and responsibilities for all cancer missions (research, clinical practice, education and training, and community engagement) across the Mayo Clinic enterprise, which includes: the three Mayo Clinic Destination Medical Centers in Rochester, MN (MCR), Jacksonville, FL (MCF), and Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ (MCA) and the Mayo Clinic community-based, rural health care delivery system across MN, WI, and IA (Mayo Clinic Health System). Under Willman’s visionary leadership, she has transformed and expanded the MCCCC Senior Leadership with a highly engaged team including Site Directors at each DMC and Enterprise Deputy Directors who work collaboratively to lead, innovate and execute on all planning and evaluation activities and strategic initiatives across the Cancer Center. During this funding period, the new Senior Leadership team has: 1) defined the MCCCC mission and vision that drives strategic initiatives in the Center’s three catchment areas in MN, FL, and AZ; 2) completed rigorous planning and evaluation activities that were launched in late 2021 with 11 Transition Teams, culminating in the new MCCCC 2030 Bold.Forward. Strategic Plan; 3) established a new governance structure with a renewed Executive Committee, Senior Leadership Committee, and a newly reconstituted External Advisory Committee (EAC); 4) formed Community Advisory Boards (CAB) in each catchment area with representation to the MCCCC Executive Committee; 5) restructured and expanded Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) and Cancer Research Training and Education (CRTEC); 6) modernized Clinical Protocol and Data Management; and 7) modernized, reorganized, and consolidated, the Center’s Research Programs from 10 to 6 scientific discipline-driven, platform-based research programs. These leadership and structural changes enabled MCCCC to achieve significant accomplishments: 1) recruit 168 new MCCCC members; 2) increase research funding 30% to $150M in annual direct costs, peer-reviewed funding 26% to $74.2M, and NCI funding 8% to $46M, with 5 NCI SPOREs and 83 multi-investigator, programmatic grants; 3) increase accrual to interventional treatment trials by 34%; 4) improve efficiency of clinical trial protocol development and activation, 5) launch Cancer Care Beyond WallsTM, activating the first randomized trial of chemotherapy in patient homes; and 6) obtain 67 patents and license 222 technologies. Through effective leadership, MCCCC is deepening discovery and translational science, educating the future workforce, and transforming cancer care.