MUSC Hollings Cancer Center appoints pancreatic cancer surgeon scientist William Hawkins, M.D., as deputy director

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Dec. 14, 2023) - William Hawkins, M.D., will join MUSC Hollings Cancer Center on Jan. 1, 2024, in the newly created role of deputy director, where he will focus on strengthening translational research, increasing clinical trials across South Carolina and assisting Craig Lockhart, M.D., chief of the Oncology Integrated Center of Clinical Excellence, with making clinical operations more efficient. Hollings faculty grew from 111 doctors and researchers in 2018 to 130 in 2023 and more than doubled its number of publications during that time.

Hollings is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in South Carolina and one of only 72 in the nation. In 2028, Hollings will apply for comprehensive status, the highest designation, indicative of having met rigorous requirements regarding the depth and breadth of transdisciplinary research that connects basic, clinical and population science and cancer education and prevention. 

“Bill Hawkins is the right man at the right time for Hollings as we set out to attain comprehensive cancer center status, which would be a confirmation of the quality of work happening here,” said Hollings director Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D. “Bill is an accomplished surgeon, a dedicated researcher, he gets things done and is a leader with a track record of connecting clinicians and researchers across disciplines.”

With a longstanding commitment to leadership, patient care, education and research, Hawkins has spent almost 20 years at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and its Siteman Cancer Center, where he obtained and directed a prestigious Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant to conduct multiple projects investigating pancreatic cancer. While there, he served as the chief of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery and the Neidorff Family and Robert C. Packman Professor of Surgery.

“Hollings is poised to grow exponentially, so it’s a particularly exciting time to be part of this institution,” said Hawkins. “I’m looking forward to building an even more robust translational research program and helping doctors and researchers to connect the dots between the lab and the clinic while also continuing to provide patient care and conduct research in my own lab on pancreatic cancer.”

Hawkins completed fellowships in surgical oncology and research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; served as chief during his surgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; and received both his medical and bachelor’s degrees at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. 

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About MUSC 

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $300 million in research funds in fiscal year 2023, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 16 hospitals (includes owned or governing interest), with approximately 2,700 beds and four additional hospital locations in development, more than 350 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2023, for the ninth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $5.9 billion. The nearly 26,000 MUSC family members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.

About MUSC Hollings Cancer Center

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center is South Carolina’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center with the largest academic-based cancer research program in the state. The cancer center comprises more than 130 faculty cancer scientists and 20 academic departments. It has an annual research funding portfolio of more than $44 million and sponsors more than 200 clinical trials across the state. Dedicated to preventing and reducing the cancer burden statewide, the Hollings Office of Community Outreach and Engagement works with community organizations to bring cancer education and prevention information to affected populations.

 

Hollings offers state-of-the-art cancer screening, diagnostic capabilities, therapies and surgical techniques within its multidisciplinary clinics. Hollings specialists include surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, psychologists and other clinical providers equipped to provide the full range of cancer care. For more information, visit hollingscancercenter.musc.edu.