Cathy Eng, MD, the David H. Johnson Professor of Surgical and Medical Oncology, has been named associate director of Strategic Relations and Research Partnerships for Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
In this new position she will elevate Vanderbilt-Ingram’s profile locally, regionally, nationally and internationally through stakeholder engagement, programmatic development and targeted marketing. It is an expanded role for Eng, who has served as director for Strategic Relations and is an internationally known expert on colorectal cancer and early-onset cancers.
Her new responsibilities will include promoting clinical research by developing new strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech companies. She will review their pipeline portfolios and engage with them about the clinical, basic and translational research capabilities at Vanderbilt-Ingram. She will partner with Associate Director for Clinical Research Jordan Berlin, MD, the Cornelius Abernathy Craig Professor of Medicine and director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology, to organize “Science Days” with pharmaceutical companies to facilitate investigator-initiated research and scientific collaborations.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recently awarded Eng a Research Specialist Award to help other researchers develop investigator-initiated trials. The goal of the grant is to cultivate programmatic efforts to optimize the conduct and implementation of NCI-funded clinical trials.
“Dr. Eng has done an outstanding job as director for Strategic Relations, and in this new role she will accomplish even more,” said Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD, the Benjamin F. Byrd Jr. Professor of Oncology and director of Vanderbilt-Ingram. “Effective and continual communication is integral to the success of any enterprise, and it is even more important in forging collaborations. Dr. Eng is a passionate advocate for what we do at Vanderbilt-Ingram and for what we are capable of doing through additional strategic collaborations.”
Vanderbilt University Medical Center recruited Eng from MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2019. Since her arrival, she has worked with colleagues to develop a new program specifically for young adults to optimize their oncology care. She also was co-principal investigator of a successful international clinical trial that recently led to a new oral treatment option approved in the U.S., Europe, China and now Japan for metastatic colorectal cancer patients who had not responded to standard treatments.
“Dr. Eng is a dedicated physician to her patients, a committed cancer researcher and a leader among oncologists,” said Berlin. “She has the energy and the drive to go beyond these responsibilities to lift the profile of Vanderbilt-Ingram. She is a leading advocate for what we already do and a tactical coach for planning strategic success. We are lucky to have her on our team, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with her in this expanded role.”
