Head of VCU Massey Center to depart

Dr. Robert Winn, director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, is leaving the Richmond center in June.

He will be the cancer center director of Temple Health’s Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. On Tuesday, VCU announced Monica L. Baskin, deputy director of research at Massey and associate dean for cancer innovation in the VCU School of Medicine, will serve as interim director of the Massey Center.

Also the Lipman chair in oncology, Winn will remain with VCU through June 16, according to a news release last week.

Winn joined VCU from the University of Illinois Cancer Center and the university’s Hospital & Health Sciences System in 2019, becoming Massey’s fourth director since it received its National Cancer Institute designation in 1975. The center received the NCI’s comprehensive cancer center designation in 2023, becoming one of two in Virginia.

“When we recruited Dr. Winn, I asked him to stay at least five years and lead our efforts to achieve comprehensive status,” VCU President Michael Rao said in a statement. “He has fulfilled his promises and has exceeded the timeline, and I am sincerely grateful for Rob’s unmatchable partnership and friendship.”

Winn led Massey’s community-to-bench strategy that aims to communicate information about its research from the lab to the community and work with the community to identify scientific priorities and better address cancer disparities.

Under Winn’s leadership, the Massey Center’s NCI-designated catchment area expanded to more than 60 localities across Central, Eastern and Southern Virginia. The expansion grew Massey’s clinical trials and participants, fostered collaborative, interdisciplinary research and “elevated cancer research training,” VCU said in a news release.

“Over these last six years, we have so much to be proud of at Massey — from our community engagement efforts to growing our clinical trials and bringing in talented leaders who will continue to do great work here,” Winn said in a statement.

Baskin will begin the interim role “later this spring,” according to VCU.

In addition to her administrative posts, she is a professor in the internal medicine department’s division of hematology, oncology and palliative care and a professor at the School of Public Health in the division of social and behavioral sciences.

“It is a privilege to step into the role of interim cancer center director,” Baskin said in a statement. “Together, we will continue to build on our strong foundation, foster collaboration across disciplines and ensure our work translates into meaningful impact for patients and communities.”