MENUU-M Cancer Center director to step down
Written by Nicole Fawcett
Wicha to focus on his research after 27 years at the helm
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - After 27 years leading the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, founding director Max S. Wicha, M.D., has announced that he will step down as director.
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"It has been my honor and privilege to lead the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center over all of these years, as it has developed into one of the leading cancer centers in the nation," Wicha says.
While serving as director, Wicha has continued to maintain his laboratory research and clinical practice seeing patients with breast cancer. In 2003, he was part of the team that first identified breast cancer stem cells.
He will continue both his clinical practice and his active research lab, which has grown to include about 30 people. His team's cancer stem cell research has advanced into testing of anti-stem cell compounds in clinical trials as potential new therapies for advanced cancer.
Wicha founded U-M's Rogel Cancer Center in 1986 and shepherded it to its first National Cancer Institute "cancer center" designation in 1988. Wicha, the longest- serving cancer center director in the country, has since seen the Rogel Cancer Center through six NCI Cancer Center Support Grant renewals. U-M's grant and "comprehensive cancer center" status were most recently renewed in 2011 with an "outstanding" rating.
The U-M Rogel Cancer Center, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a cancer center this year, currently receives more funding from the NCI than any other university-based cancer center. The center's clinical cancer programs have grown dramatically over the last decade while achieving patient satisfaction scores that rank among the best in the University of Michigan Health System.
"These attributes position us well to meet the challenges generated by the rapidly changing landscape in health care delivery. Over the past 25 years, we have witnessed remarkable advances in science and technology that hold the promise of revolutionizing cancer treatment. The U-M Rogel Cancer Center is well positioned to remain at the forefront of this revolution," Wicha says.
Wicha's decision is timed to allow for a new center director to prepare for the next core grant renewal in 2016. A national search will be conducted to identify a new Rogel Cancer Center director. The search is expected to take about a year and Wicha will remain as director until his successor is named.