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M.D., a 1985 graduate of the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah, was confirmed today by the U.S. Senate as the 16th Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. She is the first medical doctor trained in Utah to serve in this important national leadership role.

As NIH director, Bertagnolli will oversee the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world. The NIH has a budget of more than $47 billion and is comprised of 27 separate institutes and centers.

“We look forward to supporting Dr. Bertagnolli as she now leads the National Institutes of Health,” said Michael L. Good, M.D., CEO of 91�鶹����ֱ��. “The Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah is very proud to call Dr. Bertagnolli an alum. Her accomplished career serves as a beacon for our students, faculty, and community at large.”

“It’s no surprise to many that an alum from the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine has become the nation’s top scientific leader,” Good continued. “We’re proud that her medical education here helped set the trajectory for an incredible and accomplished career.”

A cancer surgeon, Bertagnolli became the first female director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in October 2022. She was also the first woman to lead the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s surgical oncology division in Boston. She will be the first surgeon to lead the NIH and its second female director, following in the footsteps of Bernadine Healy, M.D., who served as NIH director from 1991-1993.

Prior to becoming director of the NCI, Bertagnolli served as chair of University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute External Advisory Board. In that position, she played a key role on advising Huntsman Cancer Institute on strategy for its cancer research efforts and particularly the institute’s enhanced commitment to the Mountain West. Bertagnolli's role at Huntsman Cancer Institute was acknowledged by Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming during the Senate HELP Committee confirmation hearings.

“Monica Bertagnolli’s invaluable contributions to Huntsman Cancer Institute were instrumental in shaping our strategic vision for cancer research and treatment in rural Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Montana and Wyoming,” says Mary Beckerle, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Huntsman Cancer Institute. “Her dedication and insight have left an indelible mark on our mission, reflecting a commitment to advancing access to cancer care that resonates far and wide.”

Bertagnolli has been at the forefront of the field of clinical oncology throughout her career, according to . Her research focuses on the genetic mutations that lead to gastrointestinal cancer and how inflammation stimulates cancer growth.

The daughter of first-generation Italian and French Basque immigrants, Bertagnolli grew up on a 4,800-acre ranch nestled along the foothills of the Wind River Range in southwestern Wyoming. She received her undergraduate degree in engineering from Princeton University but soon found herself drawn to medicine. 

“About halfway through college, I still loved engineering but did not want to work in an oil field or manufacturing,” Bertagnolli recalled in article published in a  in 2018. “I wanted to apply engineering to human biology, so the logical step was to go to medical school.”