What NCI designation means for cancer care in Orange County

In this episode of Physician Huddle by UCI Health, Lindsay Carrillo, MBA, and Sunil Verma, MD, are joined by Richard Van Etten, MD, PhD, director of the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and holder of the Chao Family Endowed Director’s Chair in Cancer Research and Treatment.

Van Etten reflects on his career path from Stanford and Harvard to leading one of the nation’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated comprehensive cancer centers, and outlines what distinguishes academic cancer centers from community oncology practices. He discusses the depth of subspecialization required to treat complex malignancies, the importance of multidisciplinary care models, and why access to clinical trials remains essential when guidelines fall short.

The conversation also explores the UCI Health commitment to its Orange County catchment area, including care for underserved populations, the expansion of inpatient and outpatient cancer services in Irvine and Orange, and the impact of launching the county’s only adult hematopoietic stem cell transplant and cellular therapy program. 

Van Etten closes by sharing leadership strategies that have driven rapid growth in faculty, funding and national research visibility, and by outlining the cancer center’s future priorities in precision medicine, integrative oncology, and training the next generation of cancer specialists.

Topics discussed:

• What NCI designation means for patients and referring physicians.
• Differences between academic cancer centers and community oncology practices.
• Subspecialization and multidisciplinary care in complex cancers.
• Clinical trials access when standard treatment guidelines end.
• Caring for underserved populations in Orange County.
• Expansion of cancer services across Irvine and Orange.
• Launch and growth of the adult stem cell transplant and cell therapy program.
• Faculty recruitment, research funding growth and leadership strategy.
• The role of philanthropy and investigator-initiated trials.
• Future priorities in precision oncology, integrative care and education.

Connect with UCI Health physicians online at clinicalconnection.ucihealth.org, on LinkedIn @UCI Health Physicians, on Instagram @ucihealthphysicians, or at @uciphysicians on X.

Refer a patient at referralportal.ucihealth.org and learn more about ongoing clinical trials at ucihealth.org/clinical-trials.