I’d like to provide additional context to the announcement I circulated
earlier this week regarding the status of our CCSG. First of all, we have
retained our Comprehensive Status, and I foresee no additional impact on our operations beyond our ongoing efforts to be fiscally responsible.
We were all surprised by the final decision to reduce our support following recommendations from the committee for five years of support and level funding. As I previously mentioned, I will update you when I receive the official letter from the NCI in the coming months.
I recognize that our investigators need and deserve high-quality support of their research activities. Accordingly, I am delighted to welcome Bob Brier as the Director of the Grants Office effective September 20. This is a crucially important position to support the work of all Lombardi investigators, and it is essential for our CCSG-related activities. Additionally, I am also pleased to welcome Dan McDermott, who replaces Stephanie Pomerleau as a Proposal/Program Specialist for the Breast Cancer and 3DT programs beginning August 4. Both Bob and Dan come to Lombardi from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, and thus are well-versed in cancer research and in the CCSG funding process.
I know how good we are and I am confident about our quality. I would welcome the opportunity to host a repeat site visit. In fact, if it were up to me, I’d have that site visit right now. However, we will have to wait for about three years, and I can assure you that we will use this time productively, starting right now. Over the next few weeks, with the help of senior leadership, I will develop a process of evaluation and action that positions us to respond rapidly and effectively. I will use the next two months to develop our strategy, and I will hold a Town Hall to roll out that strategy and get feedback from everyone in an open forum once that process has been completed.
No matter how good I think we are, the critique is the “reality” that must form the baseline for our next competitive renewal. It is imperative that we demonstrate to the next group of reviewers that we have delivered on the promises we made at the site visit, and that we have been meticulously responsive to the concerns articulated in the Summary Statement.
I am deeply grateful to both Jack DeGioia and Howard Federoff for their
unstinting support. I also have been delighted by the many positive steps made by Rich Goldberg, Acting President of Georgetown University Hospital, to support the recruitment of a number of key clinicians who will be essential for our clinical research enterprise. A new Associate Vice President for the Cancer Service Line at GUH has been hired, which will allow us to concentrate on building our clinical and clinical research profiles. These activities are essential for a healthy CCSG and for all of Lombardi.
That’s enough fireworks for now. Enjoy the real fireworks, and have a great July 4th weekend.