Dr. Cheryl L. Willman

Dr. Cheryl L. Willman, MD, is an internationally recognized physician-scientist and cancer genomics expert with a focus on acute leukemias and health equity in oncology. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Mayo Clinic Cancer Programs and Director of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she leads efforts across Mayo’s multi-state cancer enterprise. Prior to joining Mayo Clinic, Dr. Willman served for over two decades as the founding Director and CEO of the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center. She received her medical degree from Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and completed postgraduate training in pathology and cancer research at the University of New Mexico and the University of Washington. She is board-certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and is widely regarded for her leadership in advancing precision medicine and cancer care delivery for underserved populations.

A leader in cancer genomics and translational research, Dr. Willman is known for her work identifying genetic alterations that drive leukemia, particularly in Hispanic and Native American populations. She co-led the NCI’s TARGET initiative, performing genomic sequencing of high-risk childhood leukemias and transforming discoveries into new molecular diagnostics and targeted therapies. Her research focuses on integrating next-generation sequencing, computational biology, and molecular diagnostics to improve outcomes in acute leukemia and other hematologic malignancies. Her work has had a transformative impact on national cancer clinical trials and has informed the development of personalized treatment protocols for ethnically diverse patient populations.

In addition to her scientific and clinical leadership, Dr. Willman is a committed educator and health equity advocate. She has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, holds multiple patents, and has received continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health for over 30 years. She has served on the Board of Scientific Advisors of the National Cancer Institute, chaired major committees within the American Society of Hematology and the AACR, and was a founding member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. Through her leadership in cancer genomics, commitment to health disparities research, and dedication to building innovative cancer centers, Dr. Cheryl Willman continues to shape the future of precision oncology and equitable cancer care.