‘It absolutely inspires and drives me': Incoming St. Jude CEO talks career, research, and how he unwinds
Charles W.M. Roberts will officially start as president and CEO of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on Jan. 1, 2027. (Courtesy St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)
When Charles W.M. Roberts thinks about his lengthy career at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and beyond, he always thinks about the patients he’s helped cure — and also those he has lost.
One patient who came to mind for Roberts was a young girl diagnosed with a malignant rhabdoid tumor, one of the most aggressive kinds of childhood cancer, Roberts said.
Roberts, whose medical career spans from Washington University in St. Louis to Children’s Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, said the child was full of energy as she battled that cancer for years. She died at age 6.
He thinks about her and many other patients and families constantly. It drives him to find cures every day.
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Steve Bohnel
Steve Bohnel is a Temple University graduate, originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He’s worked at news organizations in Iowa, Maryland and Pittsburgh, covering local and state politics. He covers health care, transportation and logistics, manufacturing, and technology. He is an avid traveler, an Everton F.C. and Philadelphia sports fan, and likes collecting records and biking around town.
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