Monica L. Baskin, Ph.D., made history as the first Black woman to be named to a director position at a National Cancer Institute center.
Officially assuming her role Monday, Baskin is now set to be the director of the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, with approval from the Board of Visitors. Along with being the first Black woman to be named to this position, Baskin is also the first female director of Massey.
She will lead more than 250 scientists and clinical investigators as part of her team, according to the press release.
An Atlanta native, Baskin’s career path began with the loss of her father to colorectal cancer during her senior year of high school. Along with several other familial losses, the death of her father led to her training in psychology and her developing a devotion to cancer prevention, detection and mental health.
An alumna of Georgia State University, she earned a master’s degree in community counseling and a Ph.D. in psychology. Barkin has held several fellowships throughout her career. These fellowships include positions at the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute and the Emory University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.
Other roles Barkin has held include leadership positions at the UPMC Hilman Cancer Center.
“It is an honor to be named as the next director at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center,” said Baskin per a press release. “Massey is an exemplar, locally and nationally, on what truly matters for a cancer center and together we will continue to be defined by cutting-edge science, compassionate care and collaboration with our community to ensure everyone has access to lifesaving cancer prevention and treatment.”
Baskin is one of nine women who lead comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. Other women who lead comprehensive cancer centers include Dr. Cheryl Willman and Dr. Yolanda Sanchez.
Dr. Sanchez broke ground herself as the first Latina/Hispanic woman to become a director, assuming the position at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Sanchez focused on oncology targets and developing drugs for clinical trials. Her work specifically focused on DNA damage response pathways. Since assuming her position, Sanchez has led several initiatives, including cancer research and NIH clinical programs.
With her new role as director at VCU Massey, Baskin will also lead her teams in developing several new initiatives and returning Massey to its comprehensive designation.
“As a world-renowned scientist and counseling psychologist, Dr. Baskin’s extensive experience in identifying and working to reduce health disparities at the intersection of cancer prevention and mental health has made her a powerful advocate for VCU Health patients and their loved ones,” said Marlon Levy, M.D., chief executive officer of the VCU Health System, per a press release. “Given her distinguished career in leadership roles at prestigious universities throughout the country and her past year as deputy director of Massey, is an enormous gain for VCU and VCU Health that she has stepped into this role.”
