Supervisory Physician (Branch Chief)

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD)

Supervisory Physician Position (Branch Chief)

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is recruiting for a Supervisory Physician in the Investigational Drug Branch (IDB) to implement and oversee a portfolio of novel cancer agents in an innovative investigational experimental therapeutics program. The IDB is part of the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP), Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD), which is an extramural division of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH). This is a full-time government position in Rockville, Maryland. The individual must be a US citizen with an active medical license and have a clinical background and training in a relevant oncology sub-specialty (i.e., medical oncology, pediatric oncology, etc.), as well as experience of phase 1 clinical trials, cancer biology, pharmacology, clinical trial design, and the development of investigational anti-cancer drugs.

The NCI sponsors and funds clinical trials of novel anti-neoplastic agents that have been approved for NCI-sponsored development (NCI-IND agents). In these programs, NCI works collaboratively with clinical investigators in NCI-funded clinical trial networks and with pharmaceutical industry partners to optimize the development of these anti-cancer drugs in the public interest.

The IDB is specifically tasked with implementing and providing subsequent pharmacovigilance monitoring for this wide-reaching oncology early drug development program. The IDB physicians, together with CTEP colleagues, are responsible for shaping the clinical research development of NCI-IND agents and for shepherding clinical research proposals through the scientific and regulatory hurdles necessary for the conduct of human trials. The IDB supports translational and clinical research of NCI-IND agents primarily through the Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network (ETCTN), as well as other NCI-funded clinical trial networks. For additional information on the IDB, please visit:

The IDB Branch Chief position is of vital importance to NCI’s Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis. Clinical trials are NCI’s primary interface with the public, with Congress, and with patients. It is primarily via clinical trials that NCI directly touches people’s lives. The daily decisions made by the IDB Branch Chief are critical to how these trials are conducted, which cancers are prioritized, which agents are selected for development in NCI’s national and international networks, and what resources (financial and personnel) are committed to them. The Branch Chief must be a highly capable and experienced leader to carry out the duties listed below:

• Advising the Associate Director, CTEP, and Director, DCTD in all matters pertaining to NCI drug development.

• Advising leaders in the Developmental Therapeutics Program, DCTD on the appropriate preclinical experiments in animal models to guide human trials in the IDB.

• Guiding the interactions with pharmacologists, pathologists and translational scientists at the Frederick Research Labs, NCI, to develop, validate, and conduct human trials using pharmacodynamic and other types of biomarkers.

• Serving as the primary spokesperson for the IDB at weekly CTEP Protocol Review Committee and Biomarker Review Committee meetings to decide which studies will be conducted by NCI/CTEP-funded trial networks.

• Representing the IDB at meetings with pharmaceutical and biotech company representatives to review their drug pipelines and to establish collaborations.

• Representing the NCI to the external national and international community at CTEP’s bi-monthly meetings with the Food and Drug Administration, displaying a leadership role at educational sessions at national meetings, such as ASCO and AACR, and responding expertly to queries from HHS, NIH, Congress, and patient advocacy groups.

This is an exploratory ad to gauge interest and develop a possible candidate pool. A vacancy announcement (VA) for a Supervisory Physician (Clinical), GP-602-15, will be posted on at a later date.

This is a full-time government position in Rockville, Maryland. Candidates must be U.S. citizens. Compensation for this position is commensurate with the individual’s qualifications and experience as permitted within Federal Government appointments.

Interested candidates should send their resumes to . You may also contact Dr. Margret Mooney at, with questions regarding this position.

The NIH and NCI are dedicated to building a diverse community in its training and employment programs and encourages the application and nomination of qualified women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities.

HHS, NIH, and NCI are Equal Opportunity Employers.