Esteemed cancer clinician-scientist Jenny Chang, M.D., MBBChir, MHCM, has been chosen to lead the Houston Methodist Academic Institute. She will serve as executive vice president, president and CEO, and chief academic officer.

 

In her more than 15 years at Houston Methodist, Chang helped transform the Dr. Mary and Ron Neal Cancer Center into one of the top-20 ranked cancer centers in the country.

 

Chang, the Emily Herrmann Presidential Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research, was selected following a national search and succeeds H. Dirk Sostman, M.D., FACR, who will retire next month after two decades of leadership at Houston Methodist.

 

Chang’s research efforts into understanding the pathways, mechanisms and limitations of cancer-causing cells has generated more than $35 million in funding from such organizations as the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute. Her focus on the therapy resistance of cancer stem cells has led to a better understanding of how specific cancer treatments work and ways to improve their effectiveness, particularly in the most treatment-resistant forms of breast cancer.

 

“Dr. Chang’s dedication to Houston Methodist is unparalleled,” said Marc L. Boom, M.D., Houston Methodist president and CEO. “She is committed to our mission and to helping our patients, and her clinical expertise, research innovation and health care leadership make her the ideal choice for leading our academic mission into an exciting new chapter.”

 

In the last five years, Chang has served as the Academic Institute’s chief clinical science officer and is credited with strengthening cancer clinical trials across Houston Methodist’s system of eight hospitals, including the flagship Houston Methodist Hospital, six community hospitals (with the seventh community hospital set to open this spring) and one long-term acute care hospital. Chang will lead efforts to expand clinical and translational research and education across Houston Methodist, in digital health, robotics and bioengineered therapeutics.

 

Chang is the 2023 recipient of the Academic Institute’s President’s Award for Excellence in Transformational Research and was recently appointed to the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Stand Up to Cancer Scientific Advisory Council. She completed her medical education and training at prestigious programs, including the University of Cambridge and Johns Hopkins University.