Alison Hall, PhD, senior associate dean for research at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), recently assumed the added role of interim director of the GW Cancer Center following the departure of Julie Bauman, MD.
A distinguished neuroscientist and long-serving research leader at GW, Hall previously served as the center’s associate center director for cancer research training and education.
Hall recently sat down to discuss the state of the GW Cancer Center, navigating recent operational shifts — including the new clinical partnerships with Maryland Oncology Hematology (MOH) and Capital Medical Group (CMG) — maintaining momentum toward NCI designation, and advancing research and health equity across the Washington, D.C., region.
Q: What is the future of the GW Cancer Center following our recent operational transitions?
Alison Hall: While I have been involved with the GW Cancer Center for years through our training and education initiatives, stepping into the interim director role has provided an extraordinary view of our full enterprise.
We have experienced significant changes recently, both direct and indirect, stemming from the transition of our medical faculty practice to MOH and CMG, with updated clinical arrangements. Organizational change can be challenging, but it also creates space for new, high-impact opportunities. The growth and success of the GW Cancer Center remain absolute institutional priorities. As SMHS engages in strategic planning, discovery research, clinical cancer research and addressing the cancer burden in our region remain central to our vision.
We continue to excel in basic cancer discovery biology, cancer immunology, and cancer control. Furthermore, our partnerships with MOH and CMG enables GW faculty to pursue cutting-edge research. Additionally, as an active NRG Oncology member, a nonprofit research organization funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), our Clinical Trials Office continues to execute national cooperative and industry-sponsored trials seamlessly.
Q: Where do we stand regarding our goal of achieving NCI designation?
Alison Hall: Building an NCI-designated cancer center has been a long-term goal for the university, beginning in 2015 with dedicated research space in the Science and Engineering Hall. Those early investments established a matrix cancer center model embedded within the larger academic medical enterprise that today unites some 200 collaborating faculty across multiple GW schools.
Dr. Bauman’s tenure accelerated this momentum by expanding team science, strengthening pediatric oncology ties with Children’s National Hospital, and modernizing core facilities such as Histopathology and Flow Cytometry.
A key achievement was the launch in 2025 of the GW Cancer Prevention and Wellness Center in Ward 8 through a $1.2 million Health Resources and Services Administration grant.
Crucially, we have already surpassed the formal requirement of $10 million annually in cancer-focused research funding. This year, we will focus on added benchmarks toward NCI designation.
Q: Will the GW Cancer Center continue to follow its strategic plan?
Alison Hall: Yes. The GW Cancer Center will continue to be guided by the framework of an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center, focused squarely on scientific discovery and translation into advanced, cutting-edge prevention, diagnosis, and treatment options to reduce the cancer burden in our region.
Our priority is to maintain research excellence while we clarify our clinical research enterprise. I am working closely with our executive leadership team, associate center directors, and core leaders to enhance research infrastructure, secure additional peer-reviewed funding, and scale our community outreach.
Q: What are your key priorities for the GW Cancer Center over the next year?
Alison Hall: In the short term, our focus is on stabilizing our core strengths while charting our long-term trajectory. Our annual retreat last June highlighted the incredible commitment of our members — especially our trainees, whose posters and presentations demonstrated the future of cancer science. We will maintain this momentum through pilot funding and collaborative research forums.
Specifically, I am focused on three key areas: Discovery Science Leadership, Core Facility Expansion, and Community Health Integration in an effort to expand the GW Cancer Center’s national reputation as well as our local impact.
We recently appointed Kate Chiappinelli, PhD, to serve in a new role as Deputy Director for Basic Sciences alongside Ed Seto, PhD.
By expanding and enhancing our core facilities we’re maximizing molecular analysis capabilities in histopathology and supporting high-impact cellular research in flow cytometry.
We’ve also been leveraging our Ward 8 Wellness Center to translate research into clinical screening and prevention across cancer and chronic diseases.
The GW Cancer Center is a comprehensive research enterprise bridging medicine, public health, policy, and basic science. Our strategy directly aligns with the broader SMHS Strategic Roadmap and the university-wide GW Strategic Framework, exemplifying our “OneGW” ethos.
One look at the cancer burden in our region and in Washington, D.C., (demonstrated by the map below) highlights our mission: the GW Cancer Center is here to create a cancer-free world through groundbreaking
