The new head of America’s top children’s hospital sees ‘the dawn of a new era’ for kid cancer treatment

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital appointed Dr. Charles W. M. Roberts as its new president and CEO on Tuesday, replacing Dr. James R. Downing after a global search. Roberts, who has been the director of the hospital's Comprehensive Cancer Center and an executive vice president, will assume his new position on January 1. Downing will transition to a faculty role in the hospital's Global Pediatric Medicine department.

Founded by Danny Thomas in 1962, St. Jude has seen a survival rate for childhood cancer patients increase from 20% to over 80%. Roberts expressed excitement about being at the "dawn of a new era" for kid cancer treatment, crediting technological advances and a convergence of developments that could make most childhood cancers easily treatable.

He emphasized his commitment to continuing research, combining his role as a researcher, clinician, and passionate advocate for the mission. Roberts plans to maintain St. Jude's policy of providing treatment at no cost to patients and their families while expanding services globally with philanthropic support from ALSAC, the hospital's fundraising arm.

With an annual donation average of $2.3 billion from 2021 to 2023, ALSAC is the second-largest fundraiser in the U.S., surpassing United Way. Roberts acknowledged that donations will supplement but not completely replace pharmaceutical company research, which focuses primarily on adult cancers. St. Jude's future will require navigating financial constraints due to limited pharmaceutical investment and federal cuts to scientific research funding.

ALSAC President and CEO Ike Anand welcomed Roberts' partnership in their shared mission, highlighting his understanding of patients' urgency, scientific advancements, and donors' trust. Marlo Thomas, St. Jude's national outreach director and daughter of the founder, praised Roberts as embodying the hospital's mission, noting that the institution is closer than ever to realizing her father's dream of no child dying at the dawn of life.