Craig Bunnell has earned distinction as the inaugural Morse Family Chief Medical Officer – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute posted on LinkedIn:
“After more than 15 years as a member of senior leadership at Dana-Farber, Craig Bunnell, MD, MPH, has earned distinction as the inaugural Morse Family Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to help guide the Institute into a new era.
Through the Dana-Farber Campaign, a generous donor family has funded this position with a permanent endowment for the first named chief position at the Institute. The fund will exist in perpetuity, with Bunnell as the first incumbent.
As CMO at Dana-Farber since 2012, Bunnell was central in directing the Institute’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening of the Yawkey Center for Cancer Care and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute – Chestnut Hill, and each of the Institute’s regional campuses. He will now play a key role as Dana-Farber plans for a proposed new inpatient hospital that will be the region’s only independent, free-standing hospital for adult patients with cancer.
‘The Morse Family CMO is a tremendous example of our commitment to medical leadership, ensuring that our institution can attract, retain, and support our unparalleled community of visionary scientists, clinical pioneers, and compassionate caregivers who are determined to conquer cancer,’ remarks Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, president and CEO of the Institute. ‘Our CMO works with medical staff and other clinical leaders to ensure we deliver the best care possible to our patients, and is instrumental in developing and implementing strategic initiatives, such as the expansion of access to Dana-Farber care through additional facilities.’
That includes the new inpatient cancer hospital, which Bunnell says is needed in part because of dramatic innovations in modern oncology care.
‘Cancer care is becoming increasingly complex,’ states Bunnell, who is also a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer treatment and research. ‘Remarkable new cellular therapies, such as CAR T-cell therapy, and the use of bispecific antibodies developed at Dana-Farber and elsewhere are saving more patients, but these therapies also require that patients have inpatient hospital stays and be closely monitored.’
Cancer incidence, says Bunnell, is also on the rise, further justifying the need for a dedicated inpatient oncology facility.
‘The American Cancer Society and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published incidence statistics for 2024, which show an 11% increase in the incidence of cancer across the United States in the last four years, and in Massachusetts, the increase is more than double that,’ explains Bunnell.
As Dana-Farber works to address such statistics in the inpatient and ambulatory settings, endowments, such as the one that funds the Morse Family Chief Medical Officer role, will be critical.
‘The incredible philanthropic vision that made this gift possible shows the dedication of our supporter community to the future of the Institute and the very best cancer care for patients in Boston and beyond,” adds Glimcher.”