In his role as a Panel member, UCSF’s Mitchel Berger, MD, highlights how optimizing the cancer workforce supports high-quality patient care and advances innovative research.
A report published today by the President’s Cancer Panel presents opportunities to build and maintain a strong cancer workforce.
The Panel, created in 1971 through The National Cancer Act, advises the President on how to best utilize the resources of the federal government to reduce the burden of cancer in the U.S. With input from various stakeholders, including health care providers and private organizations, the Panel identifies key issues facing the National Cancer Program.
The new report, Ensuring a Strong Future for America’s Cancer Workforce, highlights critical challenges as both the demand for cancer care and administrative burden to providers increase. The recommendations focus on creating new partnerships across the public and private sectors, developing more workforce training pathways, and addressing the sources of decreased productivity. Mitchel Berger, MD — a neurosurgeon, director of the Brain Tumor Center, and principal investigator for the Brain Tumor SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) at UC San Francisco — has served as a Panel member since January 2023 and co-authored this important new report with fellow Panel member Carol Brown, MD.
"The three priority areas presented in this report are vital to addressing the challenges facing today's cancer workforce," Berger said. "Together, we can build and maintain a robust cancer workforce to meet the needs of all Americans."