On Oct. 3, 2022, Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D., started as the 16th director of the National Cancer Institute. She was the first woman to hold the position of NCI director. Dr. Bertagnolli succeeded Norman E. Sharpless, M.D., who stepped down as director in April 2022. Douglas R. Lowy, M.D., became NCI’s acting director April 30, 2022.

Dr. Bertagnolli joined NCI from Harvard Medical School where she served as the Richard E. Wilson Professor of Surgery in the field of surgical oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She also was a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a member of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatment and Sarcoma Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

In addition to treating gastrointestinal cancers and soft tissue sarcomas, Dr. Bertagnolli is a highly regarded cancer researcher. Earlier in her career, she led the Adenoma Prevention with Celecoxib Trial, which showed that daily use of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib (Celebrex) could lower the risk of precancerous colorectal polyps coming back.

Her leadership in the NCI-funded Cooperative Groups Program (now NCI’s National Clinical Trials Network) has led to the integration of tumor-specific biomarkers in clinical trial protocols. More recently, her research on the APC gene and the role of inflammation in influencing its activity has transformed our understanding of how colorectal cancer develops.

Her experience as a physician-scientist inspired Dr. Bertagnolli to become an advocate for increasing the diversity of patients in clinical trials. She has championed and advanced patient-focused programs in rural and remote communities.