Leadership, Planning an Evaluation

The Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center (IUSCCC) has established an effective process for Leadership, Planning, and Evaluation that receives input from its senior leaders, Research Program leaders, and members as well as internal and external advisory committees. The current grant period has seen recruitment of a new Director (Dr. Kelvin Lee) and expansion of the senior leadership team to oversee new IUSCCC-wide initiatives through creation of Associate Director positions in Data Science (Dr. Kun Huang), and System Integration (Ms. Katie McGill, IU Health VP of Cancer Services). These changes have enhanced formal strategic integration and coordination among IUSCCC, the IU School of Medicine (IUSM), and the IU Health system. Based on input from Research Program leaders, members, and advisory committees, the IUSCCC leadership has developed and implemented its Strategic Plan and has continuously assessed the plan’s impact on its four Research Programs and multiple Shared Resources in advancing IUSCCC’s mission to serve the population of Indiana and beyond. The Strategic Plan has evolved from 2018 through its most recent update in 2023 to a framework that contains three major components: 1) Foundational Organizational Capabilities, 2) Integrating Efforts (education, data science- bioinformatics-biostatistics, community outreach and engagement), and 3) Cross-Cutting Scientific Themes (mechanism-based medicine, bench ↔ bedside ↔ main street translational research, cancer burden research, policy and implementation research). Following this Strategic Plan and with feedback from our advisors, senior leadership has implemented a number of actions over the current grant period. Additionally, new transdisciplinary research initiatives (e.g., the Brown Center for Immunotherapy), translational development platforms (e.g., the Cancer Drug Discovery and Development Accelerator), and educational programs (e.g., the Translational Cancer Biology PhD program) have been launched. There has also been significant expansion of the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement. These and other initiatives, informed by our Strategic Plan, drive IUSCCC’s mission to impact research, patient care, and education both locally and globally by bolstering Team Science, amplifying outreach initiatives, expanding our educational footprint to inspire the next generation of cancer researchers across the IUSCCC enterprise.