Monica Bertagnolli
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Monica Bertagnolli (born 1959) is an American surgical oncologist and was the 17th
director of the National Institutes of Health In the United States, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency responsible for medical research. The director of the National Institutes of Health plays an active role in shaping the agency's activities and outlook. The direc ...
. She previously served as the 16th director of the
National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...
(NCI). Prior to her governmental positions, she worked at
Brigham and Women's Hospital Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH or The Brigham) is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two ...
and
Dana–Farber Cancer Institute Dana–Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) is a comprehensive cancer treatment and research center in Boston, Massachusetts. Dana-Farber is the founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Harvard's Comprehensive Cancer Center designated ...
and was the Richard E. Wilson Professor of Surgery at
Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...
. She has advocated for inclusion of rural communities in clinical studies and served as Chair of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology until her appointment to lead the NCI. Bertagnolli specializes in the treatment of tumors from gastrointestinal diseases and soft tissue sarcomas. She is the former President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and was inducted into the
National Academy of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...
in 2021.


Early life and education

Bertagnolli grew up on a cattle ranch in
Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
. Her parents were first generation French Basque and Italian immigrants. She earned a BSE in biochemical engineering from
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
. She studied medicine at the
University of Utah School of Medicine The University of Utah School of Medicine is located on the upper campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was founded in 1905 and is currently the only MD-granting medical school in the state of Utah. History The school bega ...
and did her surgical residency at
Brigham and Women's Hospital Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH or The Brigham) is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two ...
. She became board certified in 1993.


Cancer research

In 1994, Bertagnolli began as an associate surgeon at the Strang Cancer Prevention Center and attending surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital–Cornell. She joined the faculty at
Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...
in 1999 and was appointed at
Dana–Farber Cancer Institute Dana–Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) is a comprehensive cancer treatment and research center in Boston, Massachusetts. Dana-Farber is the founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Harvard's Comprehensive Cancer Center designated ...
in 2000. Bertagnolli specializes in the treatment of tumors from gastrointestinal diseases and is an expert in treating soft-tissue sarcoma. She became the Chief of Surgical Oncology at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute in 2007, and was the first woman to hold such a position. Bertagnolli's laboratory at the Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center studies the role of
Adenomatous polyposis coli Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) also known as deleted in polyposis 2.5 (DP2.5) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''APC'' gene. The APC protein is a Down-regulation, negative regulator that controls beta-catenin concentrations and i ...
(APC) mutations in colorectal carcinogenesis through animal studies and human clinical trials.


Selected publications

Her publications include: * ''Molecular origins of cancer: Molecular basis of colorectal cancer'' * ''Cardiovascular risk associated with celecoxib in a clinical trial for colorectal adenoma prevention'' * ''Dissecting the multicellular ecosystem of metastatic melanoma by single-cell RNA-seq''


NIH director

In May 2023, President Biden nominated Bertagnolli to serve as the director of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Bertagnolli was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 7, 2023. She was the second woman director of the NIH. She resigned at the end of President Biden's term.


Awards and honors

Bertagnolli's awards and honors include: * 2011 Partners Healthcare Partners in Excellence Award * 2015 Cancer Charles H. Sanders Life Sciences Award * 2018 Appointed President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology * 2021 Elected to the
National Academy of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...
* 2021 Appointed to the Board of Directors of
American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...
* 2023 Recognized as one of the 100 Influential Women in Oncology by OncoDaily * 2024 Golden Plate Award of the
American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...


Personal life

Bertagnolli is married and has two sons. After a routine mammogram, Bertagnolli received an early-stage
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
diagnosis in November 2022.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bertagnolli, Monica American women oncologists American surgeons Harvard Medical School faculty American Cancer Society people Living people 1959 births Members of the National Academy of Medicine Princeton University alumni University of Utah School of Medicine alumni 21st-century American women physicians 21st-century American physicians Physician-scientists American women medical researchers American cancer researchers American women surgeons American people of French descent American people of Italian descent Physicians from Wyoming Biden administration personnel American people of Basque descent Directors of the National Institutes of Health