Emory's cancer center director steps down

By CRAIG SCHNEIDER

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The head of Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute stepped down Tuesday, following a tumultuous year that included both recognition and criticism for the center.

Dr. Brian Leyland-Jones had been director of the cancer center since early 2007. The university said the 60-year-old executive director is stepping down to pursue his research interests.

He will be replaced by Dr. Walter Curran, the center’s chief medical officer.

The Winship center in April was named Georgia’s first National Cancer Institute designated cancer center. This is a coveted federal designation expected to draw millions of dollars in funding and top doctors and provide local access to cutting-edge care.

About a month later, though, the cancer center stopped accepting new patients into clinical trials after a critical audit of its record-keeping for research purposes.

The audit found deficiencies in the research files regarding patients, including missing test results and CAT scans, unreported vital signs such as blood pressure and heart rate, and unreported logs on how often a patient took his or her drugs.

The clinic has since reopened 123 of its clinical trials to new patients, while a handful remain closed, said Emory spokesman Vince Dollard. He said the turnover in executive directors had nothing to do with the critical audit.

Curran has been a principal investigator on several National Cancer Institute grants and is considered an international expert in the management of patients with advanced lung cancer and malignant brain tumors, Dollard said.