October 18, 2007
Dana-Farber president and CEO set to lead the Association of American Cancer Institutes
Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD
Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD, president and chief executive officer of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will assume the presidency of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) at the organization's annual meeting in Washington, Oct. 28-30.
As AACI president, Benz will help shape organizational policy on issues important to the nation's cancer research hospitals. Representing 90 academic and free-standing cancer research centers, the AACI provides a unified voice for cancer center directors to educate policy leaders and the public about the importance of cancer centers and the role they play in reducing the burden of cancer in their communities. AACI also leads initiatives to fund cancer centers in developing innovative research methodologies that have direct clinical applications.
"The AACI has become a vital organization through which cancer centers can work together to advance our shared mission, and I am deeply honored to have been chosen by my colleagues to serve as president," said Benz. "During my term I hope to emphasize our efforts to ensure that cancer centers attract the most talented, compassionate and dedicated investigators and caregivers in numbers adequate to meet the burgeoning demand for cancer research and patient centered care of the highest quality and safety."
To achieve this, Benz said AACI will continue to intensify its efforts to stabilize the funding base for cancer research from NIH and other sources. It also will develop strategies to enhance greatly workforce morale and the attractiveness of careers in oncology research and care to trainees and young caregivers and investigators.
"Ed's stewardship over the next two years will be key to positioning AACI at the forefront of issues of importance to the nation's cancer centers and to furthering their progress toward a future without cancer," said AACI Executive Director Barbara Duffy Stewart.
Benz became the president and chief executive officer of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2000 and also serves as chief executive officer of Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare; director of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center; and a trustee of Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Care. Benz is the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine, professor of Pediatrics, professor of Pathology, and faculty dean for Oncology at Harvard Medical School. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School.
Immediately prior to assuming the presidency of Dana-Farber, Benz was chairman of the Department of Medicine and the Sir William Osler Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Author of over 300 articles, books, chapters, reviews, and abstracts, Benz is a past president of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research, and is currently an associate editor of The New England Journal of Medicine.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (www.dana-farber.org) is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute.
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