Timeline: The Journey to NCI Designation

The Florida National Cancer Institute Cancer Centers Act is signed into law. The program aims to catapult three state-supported academic cancer centers — the UF Health Cancer Institute, the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa — onto the international stage of cancer research and care. Since then, around $20 million annually in state funds has come to UF Health to bolster its research programs and improve clinical care.

Jonathan D. Licht, M.D., an internationally known expert in the molecular basis of blood cancers, is appointed director of the UF Health Cancer Institute. He joins the center from the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University in Chicago and begins building on the foundation laid by predecessors Stratford May Jr., M.D., Ph.D., and Paul Okunieff, M.D.

The Cancer Institute holds its first External Advisory Board meeting, comprising directors of NCI-designated cancer centers and nationally recognized scientific leaders. This board advises the center on creating an optimal NCI application.

The Cancer Institute begins restructuring its research programs per the advisory board’s guidance.

The Cancer Institute’s Executive Committee is finalized. The center also reorganizes its Clinical Research Office.

The Cancer Institute presents its programs to its External Advisory Board and the NCI and receives the go-ahead to apply for the Cancer Center Support Grant, or CCSG, and become NCI designated.

The Cancer Institute restructures its Office of Community Outreach and Engagement and accelerates clinical investigator recruitment as it builds momentum for designation.

The UF Health Cancer Institute submits the CCSG application.

Experts from around the country come to the UF campus for an NCI site visit.

The Cancer Institute receives a favorable score and the NCI notes the center is poised to have a major impact on the state of Florida. The NCI opts not to fund the center to allow time for its research programs to mature and its outreach and engagement activities to produce more impactful results.

The Cancer Institute receives unanimous institutional endorsement and support to resubmit the CCSG application.

The center makes several key leadership changes. Dejana Braithwaite, Ph.D., an accomplished cancer epidemiologist, is named associate director for cancer population sciences and co-leader of the Cancer Control & Population Sciences research program. Lizi Wu, Ph.D., a noted molecular oncology researcher, is named co-leader of the Mechanisms of Oncogenesis research program.

Duane Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute, is named associate director for translation and innovation. Elias Sayour, M.D., Ph.D., who is creating innovative RNA nanoparticle vaccines for tumor immunization, is named co-leader of the Cancer Therapeutics & Host Response research program. Merry Jennifer Markham, M.D., associate director for medical affairs at the Cancer Center, is appointed chief of the division of hematology and oncology in the UF College of Medicine.

The NCI funds team-based cancer research training led by Dietmar Siemann, Ph.D.

The center, in collaboration with the NCI-funded Florida-California Cancer Research, Education and Engagement (CaRE2) Healthy Equity Center, expands post-baccalaureate research education programs to work with predominately Black and Hispanic populations and rural colleges and universities.

Center leaders meet with the NCI to demonstrate readiness to resubmit the application. Officials say they are impressed by the center’s progress since the 2019 submission.

The center develops a new strategic plan, Momentum 2027, and makes more key leadership changes. Luisel Ricks-Santi, Ph.D., is named associate director for diversity, equity and inclusion. Dr. Licht is named associate vice president for cancer services at UF Health and a member of the UF Health Board of Directors.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announces he will approve $100 million for cancer research and treatment in the state’s 2022-23 spending plan, an increase of about $37 million over the current budget. The Florida Consortium of National Cancer Institute Centers Program is renamed the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program.

The Cancer Center resubmits the CGSG application.

Experts from around the country arrive on campus for a second NCI site visit.

The Cancer Center’s application wins approval and the grant begins.