The capacity and diversity of the oncology leadership workforce has not kept pace with the emerging needs of our increasingly complex cancer centers and the spectrum of challenges our institutions face in reducing the cancer burden in diverse catchment areas. Recognizing the importance of a diverse workforce to reduce cancer inequities, the Association of American Cancer Institutes conducted a survey of its 103 cancer centers to examine diversity in leadership roles from research program leaders to cancer center directors. A total of 82 (80%) centers responded, including 64 National Cancer Institute–designated and 18 emerging centers. Among these 82 respondents, non-Hispanic White individuals comprised 79% of center directors, 82% of deputy directors, 72% of associate directors, and 72% of program leaders. Women are underrepresented in all leadership roles (ranging from 16% for center directors to 45% for associate directors). Although the limited gender, ethnic, and racial diversity of center directors and perhaps deputy directors is less surprising, the demographics of current research program leaders and associate directors exposes a substantial lack of diversity in the traditional cancer center senior leadership pipeline. Sole reliance on the cohort of current center leaders and leadership pipeline is unlikely to produce the diversity in cancer center leadership needed to facilitate the ability of those centers to address the needs of the diverse populations they serve. Informed by these data, this commentary describes some best practices to build a pipeline of emerging leaders who are representative of the diverse populations served by these institutions and who are well positioned to succeed.

中文翻译：

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国家癌症中心的领导多样性和发展

肿瘤学领导队伍的能力和多样性未能跟上我们日益复杂的癌症中心的新需求以及我们的机构在减轻不同流域癌症负担方面面临的一系列挑战。认识到多元化劳动力对于减少癌症不平等的重要性，美国癌症研究所协会对其 103 个癌症中心进行了一项调查，以考察从研究项目负责人到癌症中心主任等领导角色的多样性。共有 82 个中心 (80%) 做出了回应，其中包括 64 个国家癌症研究所指定中心和 18 个新兴中心。在这 82 名受访者中，非西班牙裔白人占中心主任的 79%、副主任的 82%、副主任的 72% 和项目负责人的 72%。担任所有领导职务的女性人数均不足（从中心主任的 16% 到副主任的 45%）。尽管中心主任和副主任的性别、民族和种族多样性有限并不令人意外，但当前研究项目负责人和副主任的人口统计数据暴露出传统癌症中心高级领导梯队严重缺乏多样性。仅仅依靠当前的中心领导群体和领导梯队不太可能产生癌症中心领导层的多样性，而这需要促进这些中心满足其所服务的不同人群的需求的能力。根据这些数据，本评论描述了建立新兴领导者渠道的一些最佳实践，这些领导者代表了这些机构所服务的不同人群，并且处于成功的有利地位。