Downing will transition to a faculty role in the St. Jude Department of Pediatric Global Medicine to continue institution’s global mission
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — After leading an unprecedented growth of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital over the past 12 years, James R. Downing, MD, will step down as president and CEO in late 2026 as part of a planned leadership transition. He will move into a faculty role in the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, which he helped establish in 2018 to advance the mission of St. Jude around the world.
“When I joined St. Jude 40 years ago, I came for the opportunity to do great science, but I stayed because of the mission and culture,” Downing said. “I’ve watched St. Jude transform the care of pediatric cancer around the world, and I’m grateful to have played a small part as its CEO. It has been the honor of a lifetime to wake up every day and know that I have a purpose, to be a part of this workforce, and to change the outlook for children everywhere.”
Downing will remain in the role of president and CEO while the St. Jude Board of Governors conducts a global search for the institution’s next leader. The Board expects to announce the incoming CEO this summer and complete the leadership handoff by the end of 2026.
Judy Habib, chair of the St. Jude Board of Governors, credits Downing with making St. Jude a leader in the global movement to treat and cure children around the world.
“What he has accomplished globally in his time as CEO would have made our founder Danny Thomas proud. He has certainly made us proud and grateful for all he’s done for St. Jude and the children around the world,” Habib said. “He has nurtured the spirit of collaboration within St. Jude and among peer institutions, governments, global agencies, and advocacy groups. His legacy of bringing people together, leading with a bold vision, and being a relentless advocate of fundamental science will carry St. Jude forward for the next CEO and beyond.”
Ike Anand, president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude, said he has appreciated Downing’s partnership in fulfilling the two organizations’ shared mission.
“Dr. Downing is a true partner, mentor, and friend, and I have long admired his unwavering commitment to scientific excellence and his deep compassion for the children and families we serve,” Anand said. “His vision has guided St. Jude through historic expansion, advancing efforts to transform the lives of children globally who are suffering from cancer and other catastrophic diseases. As he prepares for his next chapter, we celebrate his profound legacy and the continuing impact of his work for children and families everywhere.”
A scientist and leader
Downing is considered a pioneer in the understanding of the genetic basis of childhood leukemia and in the field of genome sequencing. He joined St. Jude in 1986 as an assistant member in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, eventually becoming department chair. After being appointed scientific director in 2004, he spearheaded the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project, which ultimately laid the foundation for a new period of research and treatment of childhood cancer and other catastrophic pediatric diseases.
He was named president and CEO in 2014 and has led the institution in the largest strategic expansion in its history. Downing has focused on advancing fundamental, clinical and translational research, increasing the institution’s global impact, and strengthening its culture.
To meet the changing needs of patient families and the growing St. Jude workforce, he has also overseen a major expansion of the main campus of St. Jude in Memphis, Tennessee. Major milestones include construction of The Domino’s Village, Inspiration4 Advanced Research Center, St. Jude Data Center, and two clinical towers opening next year. A second research center is also under construction.
Downing’s contributions have been honored by the global medical and scientific community. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Prize, the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize from the American Society of Hematology and the Pediatric Oncology Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
“St. Jude has become uniquely positioned to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems around childhood cancer and other pediatric diseases. I often ask, ‘If not St. Jude, then who?’ and if the answer is no one, then we’re going to do it,” Downing said.
“Nothing worth doing can be achieved in a single lifetime, nor can it be achieved alone. I’m merely a caretaker of St. Jude, and I look forward to helping the next leader fulfill our founder’s dream that no child should die in the dawn of life.”
A lasting legacy
“There are so many strides and triumphs that transpired under James Downing’s leadership,” said Marlo Thomas, national outreach director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “As an exemplary mentor, he inspires excellence in his colleagues, building a culture in which every person can do their best work. But what I will always value about Dr. Downing is that this brilliant scientist has the passion and heart for helping sick kids driving everything he does.”
Downing’s accomplishments as CEO have been numerous, including the completion of two strategic plans that called for investments of nearly $20 billion and more than 2,300 new positions. The strategic plans laid the groundwork for the following landmark initiatives that continue to shape the hospital and its impact:
Fundamental science
- Established the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
- Launched St. Jude Cloud, the largest repository of pediatric cancer genomic data and associated analysis tools in the world
- Established the St. Jude Research Collaboratives
- Opened new academic departments in imaging sciences, host-microbe interactions, cellular and molecular biology, and computational biology
- Launched the Office of Data Science to lead the organization strategy in data science for biologic discoveries
- Launched the Centers of Excellence in Data-Driven Discovery, Structural Cell Biology, Pediatric Immuno-Oncology, Innate Immunity and Inflammation, Leukemia, and Neuro-Oncology Sciences
- Opened the Inspiration4 Advanced Research Center and began construction on a second research tower
Childhood Cancer and other catastrophic diseases of childhood
- Redesignated as an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Established the Cancer Predisposition Clinic and Program
- Created the Pediatric Cancer Dependencies Accelerator
- Established the HPV Cancer Prevention Program
- Launched the Pediatric Translational Neuroscience Initiative
- Announced a cure for X-linked SCID, or bubble boy disease
- Increased the number of patients admitted to St. Jude annually
- Designated as a Magnet Hospital with Distinction
- Established the Patient and Family Experience Office and opened Family Commons
- Opened The Domino’s Village, a new patient housing facility
- Completed construction on two clinical towers
Global impact
- Established St. Jude Global
- Formed the St. Jude Global Alliance
- Initiated the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer with the World Health Organization and became the first WHO collaborating center for childhood cancer
- Launched the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines
- Established the Together by St. Jude™ website as a global resource for families
- Launched master’s program in Global Child Health in the St. Jude Graduate School
Workplace and culture
- Expanded the St. Jude workforce by more than 40%
- Launched the Living Our Values program and strengthened the St. Jude culture
- Established an employee on-site clinic
- Transitioned to Epic, a new electronic health record system, and the operations platform Workday
- Opened the St. Jude Childcare Center for employees
- Launched the St. Jude Leadership Academy
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer, sickle cell disease, and other life-threatening disorders. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 60 years ago. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. To learn more, visit stjude.org, read Progress: A Digital Magazine, and follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.
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SOURCE St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
