Jennie R. Crews, MD, FACP, Named President of the ACCC

ROCKVILLE, MD. – Jennie R. Crews, MD, FACP, became the new President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) during the recent ACCC 42nd Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Dr. Crews brings more than 18 years of experience in advancing quality oncology care, currently as the Medical Director for Cancer Services in the PeaceHealth Northwest Network, which includes cancer centers in Washington state and Alaska.

“As the need for providing quality cancer care becomes even more pressing in this time of transformative change in healthcare, I am proud to serve as President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers,” said Dr. Crews. “Today we face many challenges when delivering patient-centered cancer care, including accelerating costs and barriers to access, especially among rural and underserved populations. I’m looking forward to working with the 20,000 members of ACCC to advance the delivery of quality cancer care to patients nationwide.”

ACCC has a rich, evolving legacy of presidential themes that in recent years have ranged from a focus on leadership in oncology, to the Oncology Medical Home, to defining quality in oncology care, to revisiting the Oncology Medical Home in the integrated healthcare environment. Dr. Crews hopes to build on her predecessors’ contributions with a theme focused on patient-centered care titled, “Empowering Patients, Engaging Providers.”

The delivery of patient-centered care is imperative as the healthcare system undergoes the transition to value-based care. While this brings many challenges, Dr. Crews believes an essential step is empowering patients through education and communication to participate in shared decision making. “When patients are fully informed, have an opportunity to discuss their treatment goals, and are involved in jointly developing care plans, they are better empowered to navigate their cancer journeys,” she said.

Dr. Crews has been an active member of ACCC, serving as President Elect (2015-2016) and prior to that as ACCC Treasurer. Dr. Crews serves as a member of the task force for the ACCC Oncology Drug Database and on the Advisory Committee for the Institute for Clinical Immuno-Oncology (ICLIO), an institute of ACCC.

Previously, Dr. Crews was the Medical Director of the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center in Washington, N.C., and held appointments as a Consulting Associate in the Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology and Transplantation at Duke, and as an Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at East Carolina University. Dr. Crews earned her MD from Duke University and completed training in internal medicine and oncology at Duke, where she served as assistant chief resident.

She is a Fellow in the American College of Physicians and is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. Dr. Crews has served as the President of the North Carolina Oncology Association (NCOA) and as the NCOA Legislative Liaison to the North Carolina General Assembly. She is a reviewer for the Journal of Oncology Practice and co-chair of the ASCO Practice Guidelines Implementation Network. She has been named to the Best Doctors in America since 2007.