We do not comment on personnel issues. We can tell you, however, that we take all personnel issues, including changes in key leadership, seriously. The difficult decision to make a change in leadership of the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute came only after thoughtful consideration and careful deliberation, and with the full support of the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ’s President and senior leaders of the Board of Trustees.
Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) is a critical operating unit of the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ of Utah, supervised by the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, who is accountable for the success of all the clinical, academic and research enterprises at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ of Utah Health.
Today's healthcare landscape is dynamic and competitive and we must have the capacity to adapt if we are to continue to excel. As we look to the future, we believe closer collaboration between HCI and the rest of the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ will further strengthen HCI for the benefit of our patients and enable us to apply the combined talent and resources of the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ's entire health system, including our outstanding researchers, educators and health care professionals, to our mission of finding improved treatments and ultimately a cure for cancer.
As part of that ongoing mission, we’re pleased to welcome Kathleen A. Cooney, M.D., as interim CEO and director of HCI. Dr. Cooney will lend her experience to this interim role as the university searches for a permanent director in collaboration with our external advisory board.
The Ï㽶ÊÓƵ is grateful for the support of the Jon M. and Karen Huntsman family and the countless supporters they’ve inspired to make philanthropic donations through the Huntsman Cancer Foundation. The Ï㽶ÊÓƵ shares the Huntsman family's commitment to eradicating cancer and reducing human suffering from this terrible disease.