eBulletin Newsletter
NCCN Remembers Joseph V. Simone, MD
NCCN is saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Joseph V. Simone on January 21, 2021. Dr. Simone was a prominent leader of the oncology community and served as the first chair of the NCCN Board of Directors from 1995 - 1997. Under the leadership of Dr. Simone and our founding members, the very first NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) were developed and published. Today, the library includes 79 clinical practice guidelines featuring 206 algorithms that apply to 97% of cancer cases in the United States. NCCN owes a special thanks to Dr. Simone for his vision, extensive work and dedication.
It was apparent in all of his work that Dr. Simone had a passion for patients. “At the first conference, we made very clear that the purpose of developing the guidelines was for the patient’s welfare. The patient is the center and we wanted to standardize the treatment, or at least provide guidelines for standardizing treatment,” said Dr. Simone in an NCCN 20th Anniversary interview. In addition to being a founding member of NCCN, Dr. Simone held major leadership roles at three of our NCCN Member Institutions: former Director of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Physician-in-Chief at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and a Clinical Director at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. Dr. Simone led innovative discoveries that revolutionized the oncology landscape throughout his 60-year career.
In 2015, Dr. Simone received the NCCN Board of Producers Award. This award is presented to individuals who have made major contributions to NCCN over the past years. Recipients are unsung heroes who have provided exemplary service in helping NCCN achieve its mission through their passion to improve the care of people with cancer. There was no one more deserving of this recognition than Dr. Simone.
We extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones, colleagues and peers. We thank Dr. Simone for his everlasting contributions to NCCN and the entire cancer care community.