James_September-October_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 51
Bringing World-Class
Cancer Care Closer to Home
W
hen City of
Hope selected
Melissa Childress to lead its
Atlanta cancer
center, it wasn’t
simply filling an
executive position.
It was choosing one of the nation’s
most accomplished oncology executives to lead an ambitious expansion that could redefine cancer care
across Georgia.
As president of City of Hope
Cancer Center Atlanta, Childress is
charged with leading the organization’s growing presence throughout
the state, broadening access to advanced treatments, clinical research
and patient-centered care while helping establish Georgia as a leading
destination for cancer innovation in
the Southeast.
The appointment comes at a
pivotal moment. More than 66,000
Georgians are expected to receive a
cancer diagnosis this year, while the
Atlanta region is projected to experience cancer case growth significantly above the national average. At the
same time, City of Hope— one of the
nation’s largest and most advanced
cancer research and treatment organizations— is investing heavily in
Georgia, bringing nationally recognized expertise, groundbreaking
research and expanded clinical trial
opportunities closer to home.
“Melissa Childress brings the
experience, vision and dedication that
our Atlanta expansion demands,” City
of Hope CEO Robert Stone said in announcing her appointment. “Melissa
embraces innovation and is up to the
challenge of transforming healthcare
delivery so that breakthroughs are
significantly more accessible to those
who need them.”
For Childress, the opportunity
is both the culmination of a distinguished career and a homecoming.
A Georgia native, she returns after more than three decades building,
leading and transforming cancer programs at some of America’s premier
healthcare institutions. Her career
has included executive leadership
roles at Winship Cancer Institute of
Emory Healthcare, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland and The Ohio State University
Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and
Richard J. Solove Research Institute.
Most recently, she served as a partner with Chartis Healthcare Consulting, where she advised cancer
centers across the nation on strategy,
growth and operational excellence.
Now she is bringing that experience back to Georgia.
“I am honored to join City of Hope
Atlanta and help lead its next chapter
of growth in Georgia,” Childress says.
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