How Team Science Fuels Cancer Breakthroughs: A Conversation with Dr. Marcel van den Brink

In the season 4 premiere of On the Edge of Breakthrough: Voices of Cancer Research, Monty Pal, M.D., F.A.S.C.O., welcomes Marcel van den Brink, M.D., Ph.D., President of City of Hope Los Angeles and City of Hope National Medical Center, Chief Physician Executive and the Deana and Steve Campbell Physician Executive Distinguished Chair.From mentorship and team science to the intersection of clinical care, innovation and personal resilience, this episode offers a candid look at the experiences and values driving one of cancer research’s most impactful leaders.Together, they trace Dr. van den Brink’s remarkable journey from his early medical training in Holland—including formative mentorship under pioneering immunologists—to pivotal experiences that brought him to the U.S. and shaped his career as a physician-scientist. Van den Brink reflects on the challenges of navigating academic systems, the grit required during demanding residency years and the turning points that led him to leadership roles at premier cancer centers.The conversation highlights Dr. van den Brink’s groundbreaking scientific contributions, including discoveries that have advanced understanding of T cell biology, the thymus, immune recovery and the microbiome’s role in transplant outcomes. He discusses his philosophy of fostering open, collaborative research environments and the importance of rethinking traditional academic models to empower the next generation of scientists.