The American Urological Association (AUA) is pleased to announce that Ian M. Thompson Jr., MD has been appointed to the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Board of Scientific Advisors. Dr. Thompson is the first urologic surgeon-scientist to serve on either of the two prominent NCI advisory boards since 2012. He will serve a four-year term beginning in February 2017.
The NCI supports both investigator-initiated research and large, directed interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research programs aimed at designing interventions to prevent, detect, diagnose and treat cancer and predict patient response to therapy. The role of the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors is to provide scientific advice on the progress and future direction of the NCI's research programs, as well as oversight on current NCI extramural funding.
"Dr. Thompson's appointment is a true testament to his knowledge, reputation and accomplishments within the urologic research community," said Aria F. Olumi, MD, AUA Chair of Research. "Having an advocate for urologic research on the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors is critical to addressing new NCI research priorities and funding opportunities that emphasize urologic research. "
The AUA has been working to address the under-representation of urologic research expertise on relevant National Institutes of Health advisory boards for more than a year. In July 2016, after learning of an opening on the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors, the AUA recommended Dr. Thompson as one of four highly qualified surgeon-scientists to serve on the board. Dr. Thompson has been a distinguished and active member of the AUA for more than 30 years.
Dr. Thompson is President of CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Medical Center Hospital and Vice President of Oncology; he was formerly Director of the Cancer Therapy and Research Center University of Texas Health Science Center as San Antonio, Texas. He has served as Principal Investigator of several seminal cancer treatment trials and has authored more than 600 scientific papers. He is Past-President of the American Board of Urology.
About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has more than 21,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.
