Administrators power all scientific and healthcare organizations. They work to build, support, and enact the organizational systems that drive innovative research and world-class patient care.
As the Stanford Cancer Institute’s chief administrative officer since 2017, Laura Adams has developed operations and collaborations that were critical to Stanford achieving the prestigious National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Cancer Center designation.
She says, “I’ve worked to ensure that we have the right people, tools, and processes to support the work of our physician-scientists, clinical research teams, tissue procurement specialists, and others across the Stanford Cancer Institute to advance cancer research, treatment, prevention, and education.”
After a robust career, she’s looking forward to her next adventure: retirement. To celebrate her contributions and accomplishments, she recounted her time at Stanford and what it means to lead an academic cancer center to success.
The road to the Stanford Cancer Institute
Adams’s diligence was influenced by her grandparents and mother, who ensured she understood the value of hard work and dedication. They made many sacrifices for her to become a first-generation college graduate. She also had an inspirational high school coach, whose lessons on what teams can accomplish and keeping your team’s eye on the prize helped shape her as a leader.
Her initial position at Stanford was with Stanford Medicine Health Care, where she negotiated managed-care contracts with third-party payors on behalf of the Stanford Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) program and solid organ transplant programs. Afterwards, she served as the administrative director of Duke University Health System’s BMT program, and then transitioned to the administrative director of Stanford Medicine Health Care’s BMT program, a role she held for almost 17 years. During her tenure, she bolstered growth by managing overall program activities, building partnerships across the Stanford enterprise, and advising the division chief on strategy, personnel, budget, and policy.
At the BMT program, she met many incredible healthcare providers who held themselves to the highest standard and delivered exemplary patient care. She found their commitment admirable. She is also grateful to have known many of the patients and learned about their journeys. She includes them among the most inspirational people she has encountered at Stanford.
“When you see their optimism and joy in life, and their resilience in the face of the incredible obstacles they faced both with their disease and with what was often a very, very difficult treatment, it really puts life in perspective, every single day. Whatever you were worrying about was minuscule, and you almost felt guilty for worrying about something that was really so trivial in the big scheme of life.”
While Adams was content with her role in the BMT program, she chose to take on side jobs in the organization because she wanted to try novel activities and projects. Her interest in trying new things was further stoked when someone she respected asked if she was going to stay the “mother of the BMT program” forever. The comment made her contemplate her future.
When the Stanford Cancer Institute began searching for a director of finance and administration (DFA), she was originally not interested and prompted several colleagues to explore the opportunity. However, others reached out to her and encouraged her to consider the position. After talking with her mentor Karl Blume, MD, who was the founder of Stanford’s BMT program and one of the founders of the Stanford Cancer Institute, and Beverly Mitchell, MD, the Stanford Cancer Institute director at the time, Adams decided she wanted to take on the challenges of a new role and help advance the institute to the next level.
“I realized I was ready for one more big job, and maybe this could be it. And so it was.”
Leadership role at the Stanford Cancer Institute
Adams describes the administrative work at the Stanford Cancer Institute as fueling the machine of discovery. She says the goal of effective administration should be invisibility. When everything is working well, you don’t think about the operations that have created a seamless experience. In contrast, administration becomes visible when dysfunction is apparent and compels people to consider the system’s failures.
Wherever you are in our cancer ecosystem at Stanford — no matter how many degrees you may be separated from direct patient care or the benchside — you are making possible the miraculous treatments that are changing and extending lives.”
Many Stanford Cancer Institute staff members work behind the scenes to enable Stanford’s innovative research and world-class patient care. Adams empowered staff by ensuring they had the capability to carry out their responsibilities effectively.
“My philosophy as a leader has always been that wherever you are in our cancer ecosystem at Stanford — no matter how many degrees you may be separated from direct patient care or the benchside — you are making possible the miraculous treatments that are changing and extending lives. That’s unique.”
Adams appreciates that her role has not been singularly focused and that she has had the chance to integrate multiple facets. The ability to complete a variety of activities kept her position interesting and exciting.
“One of the many things I’ve loved about this job is that you get to engage many, many skills. One minute you’re a strategist, then you’re a recruiter, communicator, teacher, mentor, analyst, or networker. I could go on.”
As a strategist, she evaluated where and how something could be improved. This involved analyzing available resources and deciding, among other considerations, whether new positions need to be created, how best to support teams, and whether current processes should be reimagined.
She sums up this aspect of her role as, “How do you strengthen those weaknesses so that the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts and can move the machine?”
Adams’s leadership and ability to create effective administration and operations were instrumental in the Stanford Cancer Institute achieving the NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center redesignation in 2021. She cites the journey and outcome of this designation as her fondest memory at the institute.
“At the time, I certainly would not have said it would later be a fond memory. It was during the unsettling and disruptive time of COVID-19 when we were literally wading deep into uncharted waters. In retrospect, all that the Stanford Cancer Institute accomplished during that time, and the resilience, creativity, commitment, and compassion of our teams, was really quite amazing.”
Adams has many career achievements, and when asked which one she is most proud of, her answer is simple yet all-encompassing: the people.
“Supporting the development of careers, hiring talented individuals who will lead the cancer institute as it evolves along its path of excellence, and supporting all of our faculty and great teams who have helped make the myriad accomplishments to date, and all of those that will come ahead.”
The next adventure: retirement
While Adams will miss her colleagues and the Stanford environment, she is happily anticipating several things in retirement, the first of which is a trip to Italy. However, one thing surpasses her excitement about her upcoming travels: getting more sleep.
“I’m a ruminator, which can be both a blessing and a curse, and as a curse, it has really messed with my sleep over the years. I’d take a pebble from work and worry about it throughout the night. So I’m definitely looking forward to better sleep!”
She is eager to leave her Zoom days behind and only interact with people in person. Additionally, she plans to volunteer, starting with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This will allow her to stay connected to the oncology field but from a different perspective and closer to the patient experience.
Of her time at Stanford, she has several people who have made her career a great experience.
“I’ve worked with such amazing people at Stanford, such commitment, passion, excellence, brilliance. There are so many, but a few I’d like to mention are physician leaders Dr. Karl Blume, the founder of the BMT program, Dr. Rob Negrin, director of the BMT program and my physician partner for almost two decades, Dr. Beverly Mitchell, the wonderful Dr. Steven Artandi, director of the Stanford Cancer Institute, who was my amazing physician partner for the last seven years, and administrators from whom I learned so much and who supported my leadership, including Sri Seshadri, Helen Wilmot, and Marcia Cohen. I could spend a lot of time on this journey. There are really just so many incredible people at Stanford.”