Starting April 1, 2024, Diane M. Simeone, MD will start her new position as director of the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Health Moores Cancer Center.1 

In a conversation with CancerNetwork®, Simeone highlighted her excitement to be working with an institution that she said aligns with her goals and values. During her time as director, she said that she wants to focus more on early detection of pancreatic cancer, which may help save many patients. Additionally, some of her short- and long-term goals include submitting a Cancer Center Support Grant to the National Institutes of Health and expanding clinical trial efforts at UCSD. She also discussed ongoing projects she will aim to work on, such as the UC Pancreatic Cancer (UCPCC) Consortium and the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection (PRECEDE) Consortium.2,3

Prior to beginning her new position at UCSD, Simeone has been the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professor of Surgery, director of the Pancreatic Cancer Center, and the associate director of translational research at Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University Langone Health. Additionally, she was previously the chair of the scientific and medical advisory board of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and a member of the scientific advisory board for the Let’s Win Pancreatic Cancer online community. 

“It was clear that everybody is aligned with this mission and understands the importance of how we care for patients with cancer and do research at the cancer center,” Simeone said during the interview. “There seems to be a clear commonality of thinking on their vision of being at the forefront of advancing science and, most importantly, how we apply to take care of patients. Patients are always the driving force. That's always the center of what we need to be thinking about.”

1.     World-renowned surgeon named new director of Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health. News release. University of California San Diego. January 8, 2024. Accessed January 25, 2024. http://tinyurl.com/4986f4cb

2.     UC Pancreatic Cancer Consortium. University of California Health. Accessed January 25, 2024. http://tinyurl.com/3szdvyxv

3.     PanCAN’s Precision Promise adaptive clinical trial platform –. Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Published April 27, 2016. Accessed January 25, 2024. http://tinyurl.com/fpax5hhd