New St. Jude CEO Dr. Charles Roberts says childhood cancer treatments are at 'the dawn of a new era'

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has named Dr. Charles W. M. Roberts its next president and chief executive officer, succeeding Dr. James R. Downing after 12 years. Roberts, currently an executive vice president and director of St. Jude’s Comprehensive Cancer Center in Memphis, Tennessee, will take over Jan. 1, 2027. Downing will move to a faculty role in Global Pediatric Medicine. Roberts told The Associated Press that rapid advances in technology, biology and drug development could usher in a new era of childhood cancer treatment, with more effective therapies and fewer long-term side effects. St. Jude says overall childhood-cancer survival has risen from below 20% historically to above 80% today. The hospital’s no-cost treatment model depends heavily on philanthropy, while Roberts cited limited pharmaceutical investment in pediatric cancer and pressure on federal research funding. The leadership transition is planned, and no immediate change in patient treatment was announced for families.