Nancy Lewis, MD, Eyes Health Equity, Global Reach in First Year as NCCN CSO

Nancy L. Lewis, MD, MBS, FACP, reflects on the career journey that led her to her new role as chief scientific officer (CSO) at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) in this interview with The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®).

Lewis described the appointment as an opportunity to bring together every phase of her professional life, from bedside oncology to pharmaceutical drug development.

She first recalled the weight of sitting with newly diagnosed cancer patients as a fellow at Fox Chase Cancer Center, helping them understand what the coming months would hold. What energized her most in that clinical setting was enrolling patients in phase 1 trials—giving them early access to drugs showing real promise.

That experience eventually revealed a gap in her understanding, she explained. Recognizing how little she knew about what happened before a protocol ever reached a patient, she transitioned into the pharmaceutical industry, where she spent years working alongside bench scientists, statisticians, and preclinical safety teams to understand the full scope of drug development. She concluded more than a decade at Novartis before her appointment as CSO at NCCN.

“When this opportunity arose, joining NCCN sort of allowed me to bring my career full circle,” Lewis told AJMC. “One of the things that I'm the most passionate about is getting new drugs to patients.” Working with NCCN to help establish standards of care and working with patient advocacy groups and policy makers to ensure that all patients can access newer drugs are key goals, she added.

Asked about her near-term priorities at NCCN, Lewis emphasized that she wants to first absorb the full scope of what the organization does, noting that most people, herself included, have historically thought of NCCN primarily as a guidelines body. In fact, it also drives policy advocacy, global education, and support for early-career researchers. A major focus as CSO will be advancing health equity and expanding NCCN's international reach, she said.

On the clinical trial process, Lewis was candid about what needs to change. The current timeline of 10 to 15 years and roughly $2 billion per drug is unsustainable, she said, and she's optimistic that emerging tools—particularly artificial intelligence—can help compress that timeline across every stage of development. Still, she stressed that technology alone isn't enough: rebuilding patient trust and combating misinformation around clinical trial participation remain equally urgent challenges.