CancerX Announces Steering Committee and Strategic Priorities

CancerX is demonstrating how digital innovation will support The White House
Cancer Moonshot goals

BOSTON, Sept. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CancerX, the public-private partnership that launched in March of this year to harness the power of innovation to help achieve the goals of the Cancer Moonshot, announced its inaugural steering committee and strategic priorities. CancerX is co-hosted by the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) and Moffitt Cancer Center alongside the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH).

Anabella Aspiras, Assistant Director, Cancer Moonshot Engagement, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy said, "The Biden Cancer Moonshot's mission is to cut the cancer death rate in the U.S. by at least half over the next 25 years – preventing at least 4 million cancer deaths – and to improve the experience of those touched by cancer, patients and their families. It is exciting to see the progress CancerX has made in support of these goals by leveraging the expertise of over 100 partners to drive innovation in cancer prevention, diagnosis, research, treatment and care."

The CancerX steering committee is comprised of 12 industry leaders who will provide support and oversight as CancerX works to achieve Moonshot goals:

• David Fredrickson, Executive Vice President, Oncology Business, AstraZeneca
• Rasu Shrestha, Chief Innovation and Commercialization Officer, Atrium Health
• Ben Moscovitch, Healthcare and Life Science Public Policy Lead, Americas, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Sally Werner, Chief Experience Officer, Cancer Support Community
• Mary Tolikas, Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Omid Toloui, Vice President, Innovation, Elevance Health
• Ted Gaubert, Chief Technology Officer, Graphite Health
• Najat Khan, Chief Data Science Officer and Global Head, Strategy, Portfolio & Operations, R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson
• Andrea Downing, Chief Executive Officer, Light Collective
• Cait Brumme, Chief Executive Officer, MassChallenge
• Kate Wallis, Vice President of Clinical Innovation, Point32Health
• Matt Bettonville, Investor, Yosemite

The CancerX steering committee will also have representation from multiple government agencies serving in non-voting observer roles.

"We started Yosemite with the mission to make cancer non-lethal within our lifetimes," said Matt Bettonville, Investor at Yosemite. "CancerX and the bold goals of the Cancer Moonshot align with our belief that philanthropy and investment need to work together to turn cutting-edge research into better cancer care for all."

"We're proud to work with CancerX to accelerate digital advancements that address the ambitious Cancer Moonshot goals," said Ben Moscovitch, Healthcare and Life Sciences Public Policy at Amazon Web Services. "Applying technologies like advanced computing and machine learning, with safety, security, and trust at the forefront, can drive significant innovation in preventing, detecting, and treating cancer."

"At Dana Farber we are committed to life-changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. CancerX is unmatched in convening leading innovators from across the country," said Mary Tolikas, PhD, MBA, SVP & Chief Innovation Officer,  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is proud to participate and contribute in this work and shares the vision that the CancerX collaboration will harness the full promise of digital innovation to bring breakthroughs to people with cancer at a larger scale."

"We are proud of being an industry leader in providing our members and their caregivers with access to the most cutting-edge, innovative cancer care, technologies and services," said Kate Wallis, Vice President of Clinical Innovation at Point32Health. "Collaborating with CancerX provides us with an enormous opportunity to improve the way cancer care is delivered and received by not only our members, but by people across the country as well as the world. By working together, we are confident we can continue to promote more equitable access and treatment for all who are impacted by this horrible disease."

Last Friday, the steering committee met with federal officials in Washington, DC to identify opportunities for CancerX to support activities across the 17 Moonshot initiatives to ensure that digital innovation is harnessed by all efforts to best position the community to achieve the Cancer Moonshot goals and milestones.

Representatives from over 125 CancerX member organizations also joined The White House officials and representatives from across the federal government to set strategic priorities and outline activities for CancerX that align with and augment the broader Cancer Moonshot community. The group set the following strategic priorities for Year 1 of CancerX:

• Demonstrate CancerX as the global leader in advancing digital innovation in oncology in alignment with the goals of the reignited Cancer Moonshot.
• Activate the ecosystem by fostering a dynamic innovator community for collaborative knowledge sharing, leveraging national platforms and US government partnerships to enhance outcomes through combined public and private sector strengths.
• Identify, support, grow, and implement world-class digital solutions in the market dedicated to reducing the burden of cancer for all people.

"Moonshots are not about small efforts or incremental change. Moonshots are the strategic pursuit of audacious goals through focus, resource prioritization, and collaboration among the greatest minds and all key change agents," said Jennifer Goldsack, CEO of DiMe. "The White House has set aggressive goals that will position the US to effectively fight the battle against cancer. CancerX uniquely convenes the experts and organizations necessary to harness the full power of digital innovation to support every activity in pursuit of the Cancer Moonshot. After spending time in person last week with this exceptional community and our government colleagues I am more confident than ever that we will end cancer as we know it."

"Patients and clinicians are increasingly embracing digital transformation in health care," said Dr. Edmondo Robinson, Chief Digital Officer, Moffitt Cancer Center. "This has created unprecedented momentum for us. We are finally in reach of significant progress in our fight against cancer."

Organizations and individuals who are interested in joining the CancerX network or learning more about pre-competitive, evidence-generating efforts, Accelerator cohort, or demonstration projects can visit https://cancerx.health/ for more information.

About CancerX: Announced by The White House Cancer Moonshot in February, CancerX is a public-private partnership to boost innovation in the fight against cancer. Co-hosted by the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) and Moffitt Cancer Center, alongside the Office for the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), it convenes the many diverse stakeholders needed to unleash the power of innovation to create a future that's free of cancer burden. To learn more or participate in CancerX's pre-competitive, evidence-generating efforts; Accelerator cohort, or demonstration projects, visit www.cancerx.health.  

Media Contacts: Carla English, [email protected]; Katherine Kyne, [email protected]

SOURCE Digital Medicine Society (DiMe)