Leadership, Planning & Evaluation

LEADERSHIP, PLANNING AND EVALUATION: ABSTRACT Roy A. Jensen, MD, serves as the Vice Chancellor and Director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center (KUCC). Jensen has assembled an experienced and nationally recognized team of leaders in basic science, cancer prevention and control, translation science, community outreach and engagement, clinical care, and education to help him actuate the vision to establish KUCC as a world-class cancer center that is at the forefront of discovery, development and implementation of knowledge, technology and novel therapeutic agents for the treatment and prevention of cancer. Jensen’s Senior Leadership team includes Andrew K. Godwin, PhD (Deputy Director), Shrikant Anant, PhD (Associate Director for Basic Science), Christie Befort, PhD (Associate Director for Cancer Prevention and Control), Ronald Chen, MD, MPH (Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement,), Teresa Christenson, ASA (Assistant Vice Chancellor and Associate Director for Administration), Matthew Mayo, PhD, MBA, FASA (Associate Director for Shared Resources), Weijing Sun, MD, FACP (Associate Director for Clinical Research), Scott Weir, PharmD, PhD (Associate Director for Translational Research), and Danny Welch, PhD (Associate Director for Education). This Senior Leadership team constitutes the Associate Director’s Council and works together to foster collaborative initiatives across disciplines and campuses, define areas of strength, address areas of weakness, and integrate basic scientists and clinicians for both the advancement of basic discoveries and training and education efforts. Jensen and his Senior Leadership team join research program leaders, communication leaders and health system leadership to form the Leadership Council. The Leadership Council ensures all parties are aware of and integrated into KUCC strategic initiatives that will help KUCC achieve its goals and aims. The KUCC External Advisory Board (EAB) provides objective review and critical guidance for the research programs, administration, shared resources, and clinical research infrastructure. Both internal and external planning and evaluation activities are an essential component of KUCC’s continued and steady improvement over the past grant period (2016-2020) and will continue to play an essential role in the future. Overall, Jensen and the KUCC Senior Leadership team have effectively utilized the Cancer Center Support Grant to put in place a vigorous and robust process of vision setting, evaluation of progress, implementation of improvements, and planning for the future.