Chapter 24 : Overview of MD Anderson Presidents and the Effects of Rapid Growth

Dr. Elting begins this chapter by sketching the approaches of MD Anderson’s presidents. (She worked under all of them.) She observes that R. Lee Clark was primarily focused on patient care. Dr. LeMaistre [Oral History Interview] was an “ambassador president” who worked well with the University of Texas System. Dr. Mendelsohn [Oral History Interview], she says, brought a research perspective and now Dr. Ronald DePinho [Oral History Interview] is moving MD Anderson into new areas of science. Dr. Elting states that MD Anderson’s next challenge is to determine how to function as a research institution and deliver care at the same time. She explains how MD Anderson has “seesawed” between these two poles over time. She observes that the negative press the institution is receiving is a function of the institution growing big very rapidly in an environment of financial complexity. She asks, How big is big enough? She observes that the institution has lost its cohesive feel. She compares MD Anderson with the Dana Farber Institute, which has remained small and focused.https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mchv_interviewchapters/1725/thumbnail.jp