John M. Carethers, M.D. Elected to AACR Board of Directors

Moores Cancer Center Member and Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences at UC San Diego, John M. Carethers, M.D., has been elected a Member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Board of Directors for the 2023–2026 term. The ACCR is the first and largest cancer research organization dedicated to research, education, communication, collaboration, science policy and advocacy, and funding for cancer research. Because the AACR Board of Directors comprises only five world-renowned leaders in cancer research, securing a spot on this notable board is no easy feat. How then did Dr. Carethers achieve this distinguished appointment and career milestone?

Dr. Carethers has maintained a long relationship with the AACR. Indeed, he has not only served as Chair of the AACR Minorities in Research Council, but also co-chaired program development for the 8th and 10th Science of Cancer Health Disparities conferences. Moreover, Dr. Carethers spearheaded and contributed to the inaugural (2020) and subsequent (2022) AACR Cancer Health Disparities Report and its presentation in the United States Congress.

Although the role of Vice Chancellor at UC San Diego is a new appointment for Dr. Carethers, he enjoys a long affiliation with UC San Diego. For example, early in his career, Dr. Carethers was the youngest faculty member to assume the role of Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology at the UC San Diego, School of Medicine.

Indeed, from the very time he joined UC San Diego, Dr. Carethers has forged a lasting influence by growing his laboratory-based research in DNA mismatch repair and colorectal cancer pathogenesis, while simultaneously treating gastroenterology patients and serving as the main physician for hereditary colon cancer referrals in Southern California.

More recently, Dr. Carethers has trailblazed studies of racial disparities among African Americans with colorectal cancer in relation to genetics and outcomes. In addition, Dr. Carethers serves as not only the founding Director of the NIH-funded UCSD Gastroenterology Center, but also a Member of the Moores Cancer Center, Cancer Control Program.

Against this backdrop, Dr. Carethers clearly is an ideal volunteer leader for AACR, which has the mission of (1) fostering research in cancer and related biomedical science and (2) accelerating the dissemination of new research findings among scientists and others dedicated to the conquest of cancer.

Established in 1978, the UC San Diego, Moores Cancer Center is not only one of just 53 National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States, but also the only one operating in the San Diego region. Moores Cancer Center delivers discoveries from the laboratories of UC San Diego, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, and San Diego State University, through the highly ranked cancer services of UC San Diego Health. Studies show that outcomes are better at NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Indeed, the cancer services of UC San Diego Health have been ranked #1 in San Diego, with 10 specialties ranking nationally, by U.S. News & World Report, as reported in its 2022–2023 "Best Hospitals" survey.