The Policy, Politics and Law of Cancer

February 8-9, 2018 at Yale Law School

The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School, in collaboration with Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center, held a major interdisciplinary conference addressing topics at the cutting edge of cancer policy.  This event brought together leading figures in the worlds of cancer care, research, regulation, and policymaking to assess the current state of cancer policy and discuss ways in which law can influence its development.  

Speakers examined the role Washington, D.C. plays in cancer research and treatment—through politics, legislation, and lobbying as well as by incentivizing and protecting research—and the ways cancer policy is shaped outside the federal government, including through private entities such as cancer centers and insurance companies, and through state governments.  The conference addressed special challenges in drug development and pricing as well as how cutting-edge advances in cancer treatment—including precision medicine, immunotherapy, and improvements in the genetic profiling of tumors—interface with existing and proposed government regulations.  Speakers also considered how disparities and inequalities impact cancer research, regulation, and treatment.

Speakers     Agenda    Videos    

Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, DPhil

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author of The Emperor of All Maladies and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center

Norman Sharpless, MD

Director, National Cancer Institute

Peter Bach, MD, MAPP: Director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Mark Barnes, JD: Partner, Ropes & Gray LLP; Visiting Lecturer, Yale Law School

Robert Bazell, PhD: Professor (Adjunct) of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University

Edward Benz, MD: President and CEO Emeritus, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Gideon Blumenthal, MD: Deputy Director (acting), Office of Hematology Oncology Products, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Otis Brawley, MD: Chief Medical Officer, American Cancer Society

Erik Fatemi: Senior Vice President, Cornerstone Government Affairs

Howard Forman, MD, MBA: Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Public Health (Health Policy), Management, and Economics at Yale University

Charles Fuchs, MD, MPH: Director of Yale Cancer Center and Physician-in-Chief of Smilow Cancer Hospital

Levi Garraway, MD, PhD: Senior Vice President, Global Development & Medical Affairs, Eli Lilly; Director, Joint Center for Cancer Precision Medicine

Abbe Gluck, JD: Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy, Yale Law School

Nancy Goodman, JD, MPP: Executive Director, Kids v Cancer

Cary Gross, MD: Professor of Medicine (General Medicine) and of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases), Yale School of Medicine

Peggy Hamburg, MD: Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Medicine; former Commissioner of the FDA (2009-2015)

Roy Herbst, MD, PhD: Ensign Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and Professor of Pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine; Chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital

Melinda Irwin, PhD, MPH: Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases), Yale School of Public Health; Associate Director (Population Sciences), Yale Cancer Center; Co-Program Leader, Cancer Prevention and Control, Yale Cancer Center

Amy Kapczynski, JD: Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Global Health Justice Partnership, Yale Law School

Rogerio Lilenbaum, MD: Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), Yale School of Medicine; Chief Medical Officer of Smilow Cancer Hospital

Jorge Lopez, Jr., JD: Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Abe Lopman, MBA: Senior Vice President, Operations; Executive Director, Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven

Patricia LoRusso, DO: Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), Yale School of Medicine; Associate Director of Experimental Therapeutics at Yale Cancer Center

Dayna Bowen Matthew, JD: William L. Matheson and Robert M. Morgenthau Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law

Barbara McAneny, MD: Co-Founder and CEO, New Mexico Oncology Hematology Consultants; President-Elect, American Medical Association

Lee Newcomer, MD, MHA: Senior Vice President, Oncology, Genetics and Women’s Health, UnitedHealthcare

Randall Oyer, MD: Medical Director, Oncology Program, Lancaster General Hospital

Blase Polite, MD: Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Chicago Medical Center

Katerina Politi, PhD: Associate Professor, Yale School of Medicine

Nicholson Price, JD, PhD: Assistant Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School 

Gregory Raskin, MD: Vice President, Technology Development, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Lecturer, Yale College

Jessica Roberts, JD: Associate Professor, George Butler Research Professor of Law, and Director of the Health Law and Policy Institute, University of Houston Law Center

Joseph Ross, MD, MHS: Associate Professor of Medicine (General Medicine) and Associate Professor of Public Health (Health Policy), Yale School of Medicine

Eugene Rusyn, JD: Lecturer in Law and Senior Fellow, Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy, Yale Law School

Charles Sawyers, MD: Chair, Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Richard Schilsky, MD: Chief Medical Officer, American Society of Clinical Oncology

Joseph Schlessinger, PhD: William H. Prusoff Professor of Pharmacology and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine; Co-Director, Yale Cancer Biology Institute

Deborah Schrag, MD, MPH: Chief, Division of Population Sciences, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Jeffrey Schwartz, MBA: Managing Director, Bain Capital Life Sciences

Ellen Sigal, PhD: Chairperson and Founder, Friends of Cancer Research

James Stansel, JD: Executive Vice President and General Counsel, PhRMA

Harold Varmus, MD: Lewis Thomas University Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine; Nobel Prize Laureate; Former Director of the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health; and former President and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Lindsay Wiley, JD, MPH: Professor of Law and Director, Health Law and Policy Program, American University Washington College of Law

All events listed below will take place at Yale Law School (127 Wall St., New Haven, CT)

Thursday, February 8, 2018

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Registration and Refreshments
Venue: Ruttenberg Dining Hall

4:00 p.m.
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Venue: Levinson Auditorium

Heather Gerken, JD—Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law, Yale Law School

4:10 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Panel 1: Is the Federal Government a Productive Partner in Cancer Policy?
Venue: Levinson Auditorium

Moderator:

• Abbe Gluck, JD—Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy, Yale Law School

Panelists:

• Erik Fatemi—Senior Vice President, Cornerstone Government Affairs
• Nancy Goodman, JD, MPP—Executive Director, Kids v Cancer
• Peggy Hamburg, MD—Former Commissioner of the FDA (2009-2015)
• Richard Schilsky, MD—Chief Medical Officer, American Society of Clinical Oncology
• Harold Varmus, MD—Lewis Thomas University Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine. Former Director of the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health, and former President and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Invited Commentators:

• Robert Bazell, PhD—Professor (Adjunct) of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University
• Patricia LoRusso, DO—Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), Yale School of Medicine; Associate Director of Experimental Therapeutics at Yale Cancer Center

5:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Keynote Address
Venue: Levinson Auditorium

Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, DPhil—Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author of The Emperor of All Maladies and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center

Introduced by:
Charles Fuchs, MD, MPH—Director of Yale Cancer Center and Physician-in-Chief of Smilow Cancer Hospital

6:45 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Reception
Venue: Ruttenberg Dining Hall

Friday, February 9, 2018

8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Registration and Breakfast
Venue: Room 122

Friday’s panels will take place in the Levinson Auditorium.

8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Panel 2: The Business of Cancer

Moderator:

• Howard Forman, MD, MBA—Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Public Health (Health Policy), Management, and Economics at Yale University

Panelists:

• Ed Benz, MD—President and CEO Emeritus, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Abe Lopman, MBA—Senior Vice President, Operations; Executive Director, Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven
• Barbara McAneny, MD—Co-Founder and CEO, New Mexico Oncology Hematology Consultants; President-Elect, American Medical Association
• Lee Newcomer, MD, MHA—Senior Vice President, Oncology, Genetics and Women’s Health, UnitedHealthcare
• Randall Oyer, MD—Medical Director, Oncology Program, Lancaster General Hospital

Invited Commentators:

• Rogerio Lilenbaum, MD—Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), Yale School of Medicine; Chief Medical Officer of Smilow Cancer Hospital
• Gregory Raskin, MD—Vice President, Technology Development, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Lecturer, Yale College

10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Coffee Break

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Panel 3: Cancer, Health Justice, and Disparities

Moderators:

• Cary Gross, MD—Professor of Medicine (General Medicine) and of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases), Yale School of Medicine
• Eugene Rusyn, JD—Yale Law School

Panelists:

• Otis Brawley, MD—Chief Medical Officer, American Cancer Society
• Dayna Bowen Matthew, JD—William J. Matheson and Robert M. Morgenthau Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
• Blase Polite, MD—Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Chicago Medical Center
• Deborah Schrag, MD, MPH—Chief, Division of Population Sciences, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
• Lindsay Wiley, JD, MPH—Professor of Law and Director, Health Law and Policy, Program, American University Washington College of Law

Invited Commentators:

• Melinda Irwin, PhD, MPH—Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases), Yale School of Public Health; Associate Director (Population Sciences), Yale Cancer Center; Co-Program Leader, Cancer Prevention and Control, Yale Cancer Center
• Katerina Politi, PhD—Associate Professor, Yale School of Medicine

12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Lunch
Venue: Ruttenberg Dining Hall

12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch Keynote
Venue: Levinson Auditorium

Norman Sharpless, MD—Director, National Cancer Institute

1:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Panel 4: Drug Development and the Cost of Researching and Treating Cancer

Moderator/Panelist:

• Charles Fuchs, MD, MPH—Director of Yale Cancer Center and Physician-in-Chief of Smilow Cancer Hospital

Panelists:

• Peter Bach, MD, MAPP—Director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Gideon Blumenthal, MD—Deputy Director (acting), Office of Hematology Oncology Products, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Levi Garraway, MD, PhD—Senior Vice President, Global Development & Medical Affairs, Eli Lilly; Director, Joint Center for Cancer Precision Medicine
• Amy Kapczynski, JD—Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Global Health Justice Partnership, Yale Law School
• Jeffrey Schwartz, MBA—Managing Director, Bain Capital Life Sciences
• Ellen Sigal, PhD—Chairperson and Founder, Friends of Cancer Research

Invited Commentators:

• Joseph Schlessinger, PhD—William H. Prusoff Professor of Pharmacology and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine; Co-Director, Yale Cancer Biology Institute
• James Stansel, JD: Executive Vice President and General Counsel, PhRMA

3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Coffee Break

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Panel 5: Legal and Policy Issues Associated with Cutting-Edge Cancer Treatments

Moderators:

• Abbe Gluck, JD—Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy, Yale Law School
• Joseph Ross, MD, MHS—Associate Professor of Medicine (General Medicine) and Associate Professor of Public Health (Health Policy), Yale School of Medicine

Panelists:

• Roy Herbst, MD, PhD—Chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital
• Jorge Lopez, Jr., JD—Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Nicholson Price, JD, PhD—Assistant Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
• Jessica Roberts, JD—Associate Professor and Director, Health Law & Policy Institute, University of Houston Law Center
• Charles Sawyers, MD—Chair, Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Invited Commentator:

• Mark Barnes, JD—Partner, Ropes & Gray LLP; Visiting Lecturer, Yale Law School

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Closing Reception
Venue: Ruttenberg Dining Hall
(Heavy food to be served for those traveling immediately thereafter)

Yale Cancer Center¹
Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven²
Yale Health Law and Policy Society (YHeLPS)³
Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics⁴

This event is supported by the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Fund at Yale Law School.