June 30, 2022
Leadership in Cancer
This article is part one of a three-part series introducing Cheryl L. Willman, M.D., Stephen and Barbara Slaggie executive director of Mayo Clinic Cancer Programs and director of Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. In this article, learn:
- Dr. Willman's background and role at Mayo Clinic
- The structure of Mayo Clinic's cancer programs and Mayo Clinic's role as an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center
- Dr. Willman's first steps and strategic vision for the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center
For more information about health disparities, a community approach to cancer treatment, big data cancer care and innovative cancer discoveries, read parts two and three of the Leadership in Cancer series.
Part 1
In August 2021, Dr. Willman began her role as the executive director of Mayo Clinic Cancer Programs, nationally and globally, and director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her background in integrated comprehensive cancer care, cancer genomic medicine, developing innovative treatments and clinical trials, and achieving health equity and overcoming cancer health disparities have set Mayo Clinic's cancer programs on the path toward continued excellence in cancer care.
"We aim to expand our innovative cancer research programs that lead to new means to prevent and treat cancer, to transform the face of cancer medicine and how we deliver cancer care within the homes and communities of the patients we serve, assuring that all have access to Mayo Clinic's exceptional cancer care, and to train the nation and the world's workforce for cancer care and research," says Dr. Willman.
A rich background in comprehensive cancer care
Dr. Willman comes to Mayo Clinic from the University of New Mexico (UNM) Comprehensive Cancer Center. She was the director at UNM for 20 years, which is the longest tenure at a single site of any NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center leader today.
In her history working with NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers, she has seen a shift toward collaboration. NCI-designated centers used to work competitively. With guidance and encouragement from the NCI, these centers have begun to collaborate on innovative solutions to benefit cancer care everywhere.
In her new role, Dr. Willman leads the expansion and strategic development of comprehensive and collaborative cancer programs at Mayo Clinic sites in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota, as well as new global programs in London and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
"The opportunity to take an incredible health delivery system — the best in the nation — and be able to grow and deepen the commitment to discovery science as well as enhance community engagement, dissemination and innovative means of cancer care delivery is an exciting opportunity for me," says Dr. Willman.
Three sites providing cancer care to all who need it
Mayo Clinic operates a three-site comprehensive cancer center. The catchment areas of each site are made up of diverse patient populations. The science, then, should be equally diverse. Dr. Willman's experience and focus on population science drives her goals of developing deep data in each catchment area. Learning about the patients served, the incidence of disease and the unique challenges faced will allow each site to more effectively tailor care for patients with cancer.
Within Mayo Clinic's three-site model, treatment and care planning are approached within integrated teams trained in specific diseases. This model helps address fragmentation of care. At Mayo Clinic, cancer physicians have immediate access to and partnerships with physicians in other specialty areas. In fact, patients often have physicians from several appropriate specialties on their care team. Dr. Willman intends to continue to develop, define and operationalize these teams going forward.
A large part of Dr. Willman's work so far has included evaluating and ensuring Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center's adherence to NCI standards for the Cancer Center's next review. NCI standards focus heavily on community engagement and health equity in patient care, research, and staff recruitment and training.
NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers must have excellent clinical and community science supported by a large library of clinical trials. Staff members at these centers coordinate innovative cancer care delivery and team-based research for better means to prevent, detect and treat patients with cancer, all while involving communities and patients in that research. They also train the next generation of cancer providers and must do so with diversity, inclusion and health equity in mind.
"This is an ethical imperative," says Dr. Willman. "Through the expansion and integration of outstanding discovery science and its translation to clinical and community settings, we will ensure that all have the opportunity to benefit from advances in cancer research."
Initial opportunities for Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center
These NCI guidelines, Dr. Willman's experience and expertise, and the needs of patients with cancer have shaped initial opportunities and strategies for the Cancer Center:
- Continue as a world leader in the delivery of advanced, comprehensive, integrated multimodality cancer care through continual innovation
- Through the advanced care at home model of care, transform the face of cancer medicine by delivering cancer care and cancer clinical trials to in-home and in-community settings through virtual, digital and platform innovation, remote patient monitoring, and real-time access to Mayo Clinic expertise and providers
- Expand and enhance access to cancer individualized medicine, including comprehensive genomic medicine, for all patients
- Continue to develop and deliver innovative cancer therapies, including immunotherapies, anti-cancer vaccines, viral-based therapies and nanotherapeutics
- Lead the world in the development and testing of new particle radiation therapies
- Develop integrated longitudinal patient databases and community-facing data systems with novel data visualization and predictive modeling tools that both enhance and direct targeted intervention in patients and communities and advance discovery science
- Maximize cancer education, training and mentoring programs to develop the next generation of highly diverse cancer physicians, scientists and allied health personnel
These opportunities will guide the strategic vision of Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center set by Dr. Willman and her team. Learn more about the data that will steer these priorities and equitable solutions in cancer care in parts two and three of the Leadership in Cancer series.
For more information
Refer a patient to Mayo Clinic.