Robert Winn, M.D., director and Lipman Chair in Oncology at VCU Massey Cancer Center, has been elected by the members of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) to serve as vice president and president-elect of the AACI’s board of directors, effective immediately. He serves on the board alongside AACI’s president, Caryn Lerman, Ph.D., director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, who assumed the office in June, and 11 other cancer center leaders.

“It’s an honor to be elected by my peers,” said Winn, who is also the senior associate dean for cancer innovation and professor of pulmonary disease and critical care medicine at the VCU School of Medicine. “I’m proud to serve a leadership role in the AACI and support the nation’s cancer centers as we all work together to make progress against this awful disease.”

The AACI is a group of 102 cancer research centers in the U.S. and Canada, who banded together to amplify their shared mission of relieving suffering related to cancer. To that end, the AACI encourages interactions between cancer centers, educates policymakers on cancer-related issues and fosters partnerships with advocacy organizations.

This year, Winn will also serve as chair of the AACI/CCAF (Cancer Center Administrators Forum) Annual Meeting Program Committee, which convenes hundreds of AACI cancer center directors and administrators as well as leaders of national cancer research and advocacy groups and industry and government health agencies to develop best practices in cancer research and patient care.

Prior to the AACI election, Winn received national and international acclaim, including a lifetime achievement award from the National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, for his work developing new lung cancer therapeutics and ensuring equal access to cancer care for everyone.
As director of VCU Massey Cancer Center, Winn is leading the nation on community-driven research that both serves the people’s needs and inspires the next set of scientific questions.