Biden to Name First Woman to Lead National Cancer Institute

Harvard cancer surgeon Monica M. Bertagnolli is on tap to serve as the next director of the National Cancer Institute, indicating the White House plans to install a well-known cancer physician-scientist as it shores up the next phase of the Cancer Moonshot.

President Joe Biden’s appointment would make Bertagnolli the 16th director of the NCI and the first woman to serve in that role. Her appointment would fill a critical biomedical leadership role as the president has made the Cancer Moonshot 2.0 one of the administration’s priorities. The initiative aims to cut the death rate from cancer in half over ...