AACI Commentary

About Our Editorial Series

Exploring Topics of Interest to AACI Cancer Centers

To promote the work of its member centers, AACI publishes Commentary, an editorial series focusing on major issues of common interest to North American cancer centers. 

Each AACI Commentary is written by a cancer center leader or subject matter expert and distributed by email to subscribers of the AACI Update newsletter. 

The publication is designed to cover a specific topic in 750-1,000 words. Recommendations for topics and authors are encouraged. 


Please submit suggestions to: 

Chris Zurawsky
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
412-802-6775

Emily Stimmel
Communications and External Relations Manager
412-647-0504


May 2023

A Call for Engagement: AACI Cancer Centers and the National Cancer Plan

By Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD

Dr. Monica M. BertagnolliAll disciplines involved in cancer research and care delivery share a common goal – to dramatically improve the lives of people with cancer and, ideally, prevent people from ever having to face the disease. President Biden has called for us to reduce age-adjusted cancer mortality by 50 percent in 25 years as a key benchmark toward that goal. Thanks to a recent analysis by National Cancer Institute (NCI) researchers published in Cancer Discovery, it is clear that we need to make faster progress against the most common cancers—and also achieve better results for people with all other cancers—to attain a 50 percent mortality reduction by 2047. Further, we must eliminate disparities that contribute to worse outcomes for some populations. I believe we can reach the day when all people live full and active lives, free from cancer’s harmful effects – but it clearly will take action from all of us to achieve this.

As long-standing leaders of progress against cancer, U.S. cancer centers play a vital role in achieving these goals. Your institutions lead research programs that deliver new and better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. You also provide the substantial training infrastructure required to empower a diverse research workforce equipped to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of scientific possibility. 

Read the May 2023 Commentary.

Low NCI Paylines and Grant Success Rates Compromise Research Potential
By Roy A. Jensen, MD; Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS; Thomas J. Lynch, Jr., MD; and Leonidas
C. Platanias, MD, PhD
December 2022

Collaboration is Key to Advancing Precision Medicine in Prostate Cancer Treatment
By Heather Cheng, MD, PhD, and Channing Paller, MD
November 2022

The 2022 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting: Cancer Center Collaboration Meets Federal Cancer Policy
By Cornelia Ulrich, MS, PhD
October 2022

CTO Staff Retention Task Force Recommendations: Retaining and Recruiting Top Talent Amid the Great Resignation
By Leonidas C. Platanias, MD, PhD
September 2022

Democratizing Artificial Intelligence: Bringing Automated Machine Learning Technologies to Basic, Translational, and Clinical Cancer Researchers
By Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, and Jason H. Moore, PhD
August 2022

Enhancing the Diversity of the Cancer Leadership Pipeline
By Caryn Lerman, PhD
July 2022

2022 AACI/AACR Hill Day Highlights Importance of Strong Funding, Continued Advocacy
By Jaren Love
June 2022

Driving Change in Lung Cancer: Cancer Centers Must Ensure That Lung Screening Reaches Those Who Can Benefit Most
By Candace S. Johnson, PhD
May 2022

Marketing and the Physician Outreach Team
By Erin McElwain, MHA, and Heidi Findlay
April 2022
 
Repairing Damage to Clinical Trials Office Staffing

By Kristie Moffett
March 2022

Our Best Defense Against Cancer: Robust Funding is Essential to Continued Research Progress
By Roy A. Jensen, MD
February 2022

Promoting Equity by Design in Cancer Trials
By Barbara E. Bierer, MD, and Timothy Rebbeck, PhD 
January 2022

AACI and the Early Years of the National Cancer Act
By AACI Staff
December 2021

Reflecting on 50 Years of Progress and Looking Ahead to the Future: Highlights of the 2021 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
By Robert A. Winn, MD
November 2021

Leadership Development and Diversity in Cancer Centers
By Caryn Lerman, PhD
October 2021

Confronting Delayed Cancer Screening and Cancer Disparities During the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Chyke A. Doubeni, MBBS, MPH
September 2021

Learning From the Pandemic: Reflections on the 13th Annual AACI CRI Meeting
By Theresa L. Werner
August 2021

A “Delicate Dance”: Establishing a Process for Assessing and Endorsing Cancer-Related Policy
By John DeMuro
July 2021

Engaging Advanced Practice Providers in Cancer Clinical Trials
By Christa Braun-Inglis, MS, APRN-Rx, FNP-BC, AOCNP
June 2021

Harnessing Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies to Enhance Cancer Treatment
By Rohit Bhargava, PhD
May 2021

Who Was First? The National Cancer Act of 1971 and the Birth of NCI-Designated Cancer
Centers

By Donald L. Trump, MD, FACP, FASCO and Eric T. Rosenthal
April 2021

The Little State That Could: How West Virginia Became a National Model for COVID-19 Vaccination
By Hannah Hazard-Jenkins, MD, FACS
March 2021

From Pre-Pandemic Politics to a "New Normal": Cancer Policy Priorities for the Biden Presidency
By AACI Staff
February 2021

Sustaining the Use of Telemedicine in Post-Pandemic Cancer Care
By Karen E. Knudsen, MBA, PhD; Cheryl L. Willman, MD; and Robert A. Winn, MD
January 2021