Appointment of Cancer Center and Research Institute Director

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023

TO:All UMMC Faculty, Staff and Students
FROM:Dr. Alan Jones, Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs
SUBJECT: Appointment of Cancer Center and Research Institute Director

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Rodney Rocconi will serve as the next director of the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute. His appointment is effective July 1, 2023.

Dr. Rocconi currently serves dual roles in a partnership between the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Infirmary Cancer Care (ICC) in Mobile, Alabama.  He is the associate director of ICC, director of research at ICC and professor of gynecologic oncology at UAB, where he is also senior scientist at both the Center for Clinical & Translational Science and Center for Women’s Reproductive Health.  

Dr. Rocconi’s leadership will be pivotal in implementing the Medical Center’s cancer strategic plan to bridge the clinical, education and research missions of the CCRI and to establish a nationally recognized patient care program.

After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi, Dr. Rocconi earned his medical degree from UAB, where he also completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology and a fellowship in gynecologic oncology. He started his medical career at the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute in Mobile, where over a 15-year span, he held numerous leadership appointments including chief of gynecologic oncology, associate director of clinical trials, Elsie Cole Chair of Oncology Research and interim director of the Mitchell Cancer Institute.

Dr. Rocconi, whose major research interests includes overcoming racial inequities in gynecologic cancers, has made significant contributions to the body of knowledge in cancer research. A holder of eight patents on the detection and treatment of cancers, he is uniquely qualified to lead the CCRI. During his 16 years as a medical center researcher, instructor and practitioner, his research program has been supported by numerous National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute, U.S. Department of Defense, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and foundation grants exceeding more than $6 million in external funding.

Rocconi has served as principal investigator on 70 clinical trials (including Phase 1, 2 and 3), and published more than 117 manuscripts, with several more pending. He also has held numerous national leadership roles in oncology professional societies such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology and Society of Gynecologic Oncology.

I look forward to welcoming Dr. Rocconi to his new role and the future progress for the CCRI.