Roswell Park’s Dr. Candace Johnson Named to Inaugural ‘Health Care Power 50’ List

Cancer center CEO is only Western New York figure on City & State ranking

Highlights
  • Dr. Johnson named 24th on list of influential health care figures
  • List based on accomplishments, clout, sway in political and policy matters
  • ‘She’s a dynamo,’ says Roswell Park board chair

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center President and CEO Candace S. Johnson, PhD, has been named to City & State’s inaugural Health Care Power 50 list. Dr. Johnson, who in 2015 became the first woman to lead the cancer center, is number 24. She is the only person from a Western New York institution to be included on the statewide list.

“In this special list,” the media outlet writes, “we recognize the 50 most influential health care figures in the world of New York politics. Since we cover politicians on a day-to-day basis, we omitted all but a few officials who are in government, instead identifying those who influence it from the outside. We reached out to insiders and experts to compile this list, ranking each person based on their accomplishments, economic clout, sway in political and policy matters, ties to powerful politicians and the constituencies they represent.”

About Dr. Johnson, City & State notes: “Shortly after becoming CEO in 2015 of the country’s first cancer center, Candace Johnson led a joint trip to Cuba with Gov. Andrew Cuomo to advance research on a promising lung cancer treatment developed on the island. No doubt the research partnership raised the profile of the Buffalo-based center, prompting Cuomo to observe: ‘New York is forging a path as a leader in modern medical research and advancement.’”

In June, Dr. Johnson was named to City & State’s Women’s Power 100 list.  

“It’s no surprise to see Dr. Johnson getting attention for her vision and her record of achievement,” says Michael Joseph, Chair of the Roswell Park Board of Directors. “She is an engaging leader whose ideas and energy are impacting health care not just in Buffalo and New York State, but nationally and internationally too. She’s a dynamo.”

Dr. Johnson joined Roswell Park in February 2002 from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute/University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She is President and CEO, Wallace Family Chair in Translational Research and Professor of Oncology at Roswell Park. 

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Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a community united by the drive to eliminate cancer’s grip on humanity by unlocking its secrets through personalized approaches and unleashing the healing power of hope. Founded by Dr. Roswell Park in 1898, it is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. Learn more at www.roswellpark.org, or contact us at 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or ASKRoswell@RoswellPark.org.

Media Contact

Annie Deck-Miller, Senior Media Relations Manager
716-845-8593; annie.deck-miller@roswellpark.org