Memphis, Tenn.-based St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital named Charles Roberts, MD, PhD, its next president and CEO, effective Jan. 1.
Dr. Roberts is executive vice president and director of the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center, according to an Aug. 18 hospital news release. He joined St. Jude in 2015 as the center’s director, leading the vision, planning and strategic growth of the institution’s cancer research and clinical research enterprise.
He will become the organization’s seventh president and CEO, succeeding James Downing, MD, who announced plans in February to step down after 12 years at the helm. In late 2026, Dr. Downing will transition into a faculty role within the organization’s Department of Global Pediatric Medicine.
During his time as cancer center director, Dr. Roberts guided the St. Jude Research Collaboratives program, developed and co-led the multi-institutional Pediatric Cancer Dependencies Accelerator, created The Science of Childhood Cancer virtual lecture series and launched the Collaborative Academic Developmental Therapeutics initiative with Stanford (Calif.) University and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
Dr. Roberts’ research focuses on how chromatin remodeling complexes contribute to cancer when their normal function is disrupted. His work has led to FDA-approved and investigational cancer therapies for children and adults, the release said.
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