Roberts’ work connects laboratory research with clinical care. As a physician at St. Jude, he has cared for patients treated at the hospital, while as a scientist he has investigated the fundamental biology of disease. The National Academy of Medicine cited his research on chromatin remodeling complexes, which normally provide access to DNA so genes can be transcribed. St. Jude stated that this work has led to U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved and investigational cancer therapies for both children and adults. The announcement described the contribution as recognition of advances in understanding cancer and developing novel therapies for children with cancer.

In the announcement, Roberts said the recognition reflected the patients who inspired his work, the science taking place at St. Jude and the colleagues with whom he had worked. He said the organization had reached a point in pediatric medicine where tools developed over time were converging in ways that made previously unimaginable therapeutic advances possible for children. Roberts also said he was honored to join the National Academy of Medicine at this moment and looked forward to contributing to its work. His election adds another distinction to a career that has included both scientific investigation and institutional leadership.

Roberts has led the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center since 2015, overseeing the institution’s cancer research vision, planning and strategic growth as well as its clinical research enterprise. His administrative responsibilities therefore extend beyond an individual laboratory or research program. In addition to directing the cancer center, he has guided the St. Jude Research Collaboratives program, which supports collaboration among investigators within the institution. He also created and co-led the multi-institutional Pediatric Cancer Dependencies Accelerator, developed The Science of Childhood Cancer virtual lecture series and launched the Collaborative Academic Developmental Therapeutics initiative with Stanford University and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

These initiatives reflect a stated emphasis on cooperation among laboratories, clinicians and research institutions. The Pediatric Cancer Dependencies Accelerator was created and co-led under Roberts’ leadership, while the Collaborative Academic Developmental Therapeutics initiative brought St. Jude together with Stanford University and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The St. Jude announcement described these efforts as part of his commitment to collaboration as a fundamental driver of scientific breakthroughs. The research collaboratives program and the virtual lecture series similarly support connections between investigators and the exchange of scientific information, although the announcement did not provide detailed outcome measures for the programs.

Roberts’ prior honors include election as a fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy. He has received the AACR’s Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research and the Stephen E. Sallan Leadership Award. He is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research, American Society of Clinical Investigation, Association of American Physicians and American Pediatric Society, and he serves on the AACR Board of Directors. These memberships and awards recognize sustained professional involvement in cancer research, education, training and organizational leadership rather than a single study or clinical result.

James R. Downing, St. Jude’s president and chief executive officer, praised Roberts as a pioneer in cancer epigenetics whose discoveries reshaped understanding of how disruptions in developmental programs drive childhood cancer and helped lay the foundation for new targeted therapies. Downing also described him as an exceptional leader who strengthened the Comprehensive Cancer Center and launched ambitious collaborations. These statements were part of St. Jude’s announcement of the academy election and represent the institution’s assessment of Roberts’ work, rather than an independent evaluation reported in the source.

Congressionally chartered in 1970 under the name Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Medicine works alongside the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering. Together, the National Academies provide independent and objective analysis and advice to the nation, address complex problems, inform public policy decisions, promote education and research, honor outstanding contributions to knowledge and increase public understanding of science, technology, engineering and medicine. Election to the National Academies is described by the academy as one of the highest honors in health and medicine. Roberts joins the organization’s membership in its work concerning health-care research, practice and public policy.

His election also places Roberts within a substantial group of St. Jude scientists who are members of the National Academy of Medicine. Current members include Downing; J. Paul Taylor, St. Jude executive vice president, scientific director and chair of the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology; P. David Rogers, chair of the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Mitchell Weiss, chair of the Department of Hematology; and emeritus faculty members William Evans, Mary Relling, Peter Doherty and Charles Sherr. Arthur Nienhuis, a former St. Jude director and chief executive officer, was also a member before his death. St. Jude faculty who belong to the National Academy of Sciences include Hongbo Chi, Martine Roussel, Brenda Schulman, Douglas Green and emeritus faculty members Robert Webster, Doherty and Sherr.

For St. Jude, the appointment is both an institutional milestone and a recognition of a physician-scientist preparing to assume its top leadership role. Roberts will bring experience in pediatric oncology, cancer epigenetics, patient care, cancer-center administration and multi-institutional research partnerships to the position. The National Academy of Medicine announcement did not report new trial results, treatment outcomes or a change in clinical guidance arising from his election. Instead, it documented his election, described the research and leadership contributions recognized by the academy and St. Jude, and outlined the leadership transition scheduled for January 1, 2027. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, based in Memphis, Tennessee, conducts research and clinical care across childhood cancer, blood disorders, neurological conditions and infectious diseases.

Subject of Research: Election of physician-scientist Charles W.M. Roberts to the National Academy of Medicine for contributions to pediatric oncology and cancer epigenetics.

Article Title: Charles W.M. Roberts, MD, Ph.D., St. Jude president and CEO-elect, named to National Academy of Medicine

Article References: Charles W.M. Roberts, MD, Ph.D., St. Jude president and CEO-elect, named to National Academy of Medicine. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: Not provided

Keywords: Charles W.M. Roberts, National Academy of Medicine, St. Jude, pediatric oncology, cancer epigenetics, chromatin remodeling, physician-scientist, cancer research, institutional leadership, childhood cancer, Charles, Roberts

In her new role, Werner will oversee the division’s clinical, research, and educational priorities while helping guide strategic efforts to expand access to innovative cancer care, advance clinical and translational research, and support the development of future oncology leaders. The position carries particular weight at a comprehensive cancer center serving a vast and geographically dispersed region, where the division’s faculty must balance the demands of subspecialty patient care with the infrastructure required to design, launch, and sustain clinical trials. Werner’s mandate, as described by institutional leaders, is to serve as a critical connector between academics, University of Utah Health, and Huntsman Cancer Institute, aligning the division’s academic mission with the real-world needs of cancer patients and their families throughout Utah and the surrounding Mountain West states.

Werner already holds several of the institution’s most senior research and administrative posts. She serves as deputy director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute and is a member of the Huntsman Cancer Institute CEO Cabinet, giving her a seat at the table where the cancer center’s institutional strategy is set. Within the school of medicine, she is a tenured professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and an adjunct professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a dual appointment that reflects the gynecologic focus of her clinical and research work. She also holds the Karen H. Huntsman Presidential Endowed Chair in Women’s Cancer Research, an endowed professorship that supports her sustained investigation into cancers that disproportionately affect women and that have historically presented some of the most difficult challenges in oncology.

As a clinician, Werner specializes in gynecologic malignancies, caring for patients with ovarian, endometrial, cervical, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancers. Her practice spans the full continuum of cancer care, from initial treatment planning and enrollment in clinical trials through the management of treatment-related toxicities, survivorship, and end-of-life care. That breadth is notable in an era of increasing subspecialization, and it informs her research agenda, which addresses not only how new therapies can be developed but how patients experience treatment across its entire arc. She also brings extensive experience in breast cancer research and treatment, extending her reach beyond gynecologic oncology and positioning her to lead a division whose faculty cover the full spectrum of solid tumor and hematologic malignancies.

Werner’s research portfolio centers on experimental therapeutics for gynecologic and breast cancers, with particular emphasis on targeted therapies, immunotherapy, PARP inhibitors, biomarkers, and the design of early-phase clinical trials. PARP inhibitors, which exploit defects in DNA damage repair pathways to selectively kill tumor cells, have transformed the treatment landscape for ovarian cancer in particular, and investigators such as Werner have been central to translating that biology into clinical benefit. Her work has advanced the understanding of tumor heterogeneity, treatment resistance, and genomic predictors of cancer outcomes, and has explored novel approaches for patients with recurrent and treatment-resistant disease, populations for whom options have historically been limited. As an internationally recognized investigator, she has led and contributed to numerous clinical trials that have helped define standards of care in her field.

Her influence extends well beyond Utah. Werner serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Ovarian Cancer Panel and the NCCN Ovarian Cancer Guidelines Value Pathways Panel, bodies that help shape the national treatment guidelines and clinical resources used by oncologists across the United States. She also sits on the NCCN Guidelines Steering Committee and the NCCN Oncology Research Program, and she has served as a special expert for the National Cancer Institute Gynecologic Cancer Steering Committee, contributing to multiple national cervical and endometrial cancer planning initiatives. Since 2013, she has served as institutional principal investigator for NRG Oncology, representing Utah in the national cancer clinical trial leadership activities of one of the major cooperative groups that conducts practice-changing trials across the country. She is a recipient of the National Cancer Institute Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award and a member of the Society of Huntsman Translational Scholars.

Werner has also played a significant role in strengthening the operational machinery of clinical research nationally. Through the Association of American Cancer Institutes, she serves on the Physician Clinical Leadership Initiative and is former chair of the AACI Clinical Research Innovation Steering Committee. She was instrumental in establishing the AACI Clinical Trials Office Medical Directors Forum and the Associate Directors of Clinical Research Forum, national platforms through which the leaders of cancer center clinical trials offices share strategies for improving trial operations, accrual, and innovation. Within her own institution, her prior leadership record includes service as senior director of clinical research before her deputy director role, medical director of the Huntsman Cancer Institute Clinical Trials Office, and associate director of the University of Utah Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program. In the trials office role, she worked to recruit and train physician-scientists to lead clinical trials and implemented professional training for clinicians and staff, broadening the institution’s portfolio of investigator-initiated, pharmaceutical, national cooperative group, and Phase 1 research.

Institutional leaders framed the appointment as a natural culmination of that record. John Inadomi, MD, investigator at Huntsman Cancer Institute and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the U, described Werner as an exceptional physician-scientist, educator, and leader whose contributions have strengthened the institution’s work across cancer care, research, and education, noting that she is deeply respected by colleagues and trainees alike for her collaborative leadership style, commitment to excellence, and focus on improving the lives of patients with cancer. Bradley Cairns, PhD, chief executive officer of Huntsman Cancer Institute, said Werner brings an extraordinary combination of exceptional patient care, scientific leadership, and institutional experience to the role, and emphasized her ability to connect clinical care with research and discovery as a strength that will help deliver meaningful advances to patients throughout Utah and the Mountain West. Sachin Apte, MD, MS, MBA, chief clinical officer and physician-in-chief at Huntsman Cancer Institute, cited her national leadership, clinical expertise, and commitment to mentorship as qualities that position her to guide the division’s continued growth and innovation.

Werner succeeds Saundra Buys, MD, a Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and Distinguished Professor who served as chief of the Division of Oncology for many years and played a pivotal role in advancing the division’s clinical, research, and educational missions. The institution also expressed appreciation to Sarah Colonna, MD, oncologist and medical director of the Family Cancer Assessment Clinic at Huntsman Cancer Institute and associate professor of internal medicine, who provided leadership as interim co-chief of the division alongside Werner during the transition. For her part, Werner described it as a privilege to lead a division with such a deep commitment to patients and such extraordinary strength in discovery, clinical research, education, and care, pledging to build on the foundation established by Buys to bring promising advances to patients more quickly. Outside of medicine, she draws leadership lessons from family life and from volunteering in youth swimming and volleyball, pointing to the value of showing up consistently, creating opportunities for growth, celebrating progress, and helping people develop confidence in their own abilities. Research at Huntsman Cancer Institute is supported by the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute, including cancer center support grant P30 CA042014, as well as by the Huntsman Cancer Foundation.

Subject of Research: Leadership appointment in academic oncology and cancer clinical trials at Huntsman Cancer Institute

Article Title: Theresa Werner, MD, named chief of the Division of Oncology

Article References: Theresa Werner, MD, named chief of the Division of Oncology. (n.d.). Original publication

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: Not provided

Keywords: Theresa Werner, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Division of Oncology, gynecologic oncology, clinical trials, PARP inhibitors, NCCN, NRG Oncology, cancer research, physician-scientist, leadership appointment