Winn is New AACI President; Sets Course for “Inclusive Excellence” Initiative

Robert A. Winn, MD, director of VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, became president of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) today at the conclusion of the 2023 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. He succeeds Caryn Lerman, PhD, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Overseeing a center comprised of nearly 150 scientists and clinical investigators, Dr. Winn is leading the nation in establishing a 21st-century model for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the oncology workforce; spearheading interdisciplinary approaches to cancer disparities research; and building trust among populations previously disenfranchised from health care.

Dr. Winn’s AACI Presidential Initiative aims to develop and promote inclusive excellence by examining methods through which AACI members can foster partnerships with like-minded organizations, government agencies, and other institutions – regionally, nationally, and globally.

Activities proposed for the Inclusive Excellence Initiative focus on collaborative efforts to create opportunities for research, training and education, and patient navigation. The initiative will also support the continued facilitation of AACI’s annual Leadership Diversity and Development Workshop and the annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) summit in partnership with the Cancer Center DEI Network and the American Cancer Society.

To achieve these ambitious goals, Dr. Winn has assembled a steering committee of cancer center leaders and community stakeholders.

Inclusive Excellence Steering Committee

• Chair: Robert A. Winn, MD
  VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Wafik S. El-Deiry, MD, PhD, FACP
  Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University

• Robert S. Mannel, MD
  Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma
• Cornelia Ulrich, MS, PhD
  Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah

• Stephen D. Nimer, MD
  Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Health System
• Ze’ev Ronai, PhD
  Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
• Joann B. Sweasy, PhD
  The University of Arizona Cancer Center
• Community advocate
  To be appointed

Dr. Winn is the namesake of the Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Award Program, a $114 million training and education program in partnership with the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation. He is principal investigator on several large multi-institutional initiatives, including a team science award from Stand Up To Cancer, and a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded Planning SPORE focused on Lung Cancer Health Equity.

The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Dr. Winn received the inaugural AACI Cancer Health Equity Award in 2021. He serves on the boards of the American Cancer Society and LUNGevity Foundation and served as the chair of the 2021 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting Program Committee.

His previous faculty appointments include serving as director of the University of Illinois Cancer Center from 2015-2019 and as associate vice chancellor of health affairs for community-based practice at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Science System from 2013-2019. Prior to his work in Chicago, Dr. Winn spent 13 years at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and School of Medicine in various leadership roles, including associate dean of admissions and vice chair of career development and diversity inclusion.

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The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) represents over 100 premier academic and freestanding cancer centers in the United States and Canada. AACI is accelerating progress against cancer by enhancing the impact of academic cancer centers and promoting cancer health equity. For more information, please visit aaci-cancer.org.