VICC solidifies research administration leadership
Lauren Hackett, MPA, has been named executive director for cancer research administration at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
Hackett has 19 years of experience in research administration, most recently at New York University Cancer Institute, where she has served as executive director for administration since 2004. She held similar roles with the Yale School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center.
Hackett holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of New Haven and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
At NYU Langone Medical Center, Hackett has been responsible for financial, administrative and planning activities for the Cancer Institute across the research spectrum, including clinical, basic and population-based efforts. She had oversight of daily operations, human resources, faculty affairs, facilities, affiliation agreements, regulatory compliance, philanthropy, community outreach and public relations.
Hackett also directed the office of sponsored programs administration at the Rockefeller University, and worked in the public sector with the Brookline, Mass., Human Relations-Youth Services Commission.
Hackett will work alongside Beth Price, MBA, who has been named executive director for cancer clinical administration, and Michael Neuss, M.D., VICC’s new chief medical officer.
Since joining the Center in 2007, Price has served in several critical roles, including administration for VICC, leading the growth of the clinical enterprise, developing business strategies for off-campus growth, playing a key role in the Cancer Center Support Grant renewal, and helping to oversee the Clinical Trials Shared Resource.
Neuss, a Duke-trained oncologist in private practice since 1986, holds a faculty position as professor in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Hematology/Oncology. Prior to his new leadership role at VICC, he was vice president of the largest oncology practice in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.
“When the Cancer Center was launched in 1993 our research portfolio was $39 million. Today, our research funding for clinical, basic and population-based research approaches $200 million and accounts for a substantial portion of the VUMC research portfolio,” said Jennifer Pietenpol, Ph.D., director of VICC.
“Moreover, we face an imperative to grow our clinical activities to meet the demands of an aging population as well as to deliver cutting-edge clinical research that is crucial to our mission as a Comprehensive Cancer Center.”
Pietenpol said that the research and clinical enterprises are highly integrated and important to the Cancer Center’s success, and each requires and deserves the attention of an executive level administrator with specialized skills and experience.
The creation of these new administrative leadership positions is designed to position VICC for continued growth and success in the face of changing environments for research and clinical enterprises.
Hackett will join VICC on Sept. 12.