LEADERSHIP, PLANNING AND EVALUATION ABSTRACT Under strong new leadership from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) Director, Michael Teitell, MD, PhD (CMINT), a fresh, thorough, and prioritized JCCC strategic plan details a practical Center mission, to accelerate discoveries that prevent and cure cancer. A new JCCC leadership team infused enthusiasm into a Center culture that strives to eradicate cancer in LAC, the nation, and the world through impactful research as an aspirational vision. Driving mission success is a series of exciting and achievable goals for the next five-year project period and beyond. The JCCC 2019 – 2023 Strategic Plan maps out a new governance structure, increased institutional support that includes participation in a pending centralized funds distribution mechanism, research priorities, patient-centered care initiatives, and addresses all 2013 CCSG study section comments. Significant enthusiasm emanates from increased organizational and financial commitments by new leaders in UCLA Health Sciences and an unprecedented organizational structure that elevates the JCCC role in fully integrating cancer research and clinical care at UCLA. This governance structure provides the infrastructure to support innovative and impactful basic, translational, clinical, and population science research, with strengthened community engagement to serve, and benefit from, a diverse Los Angeles County (LAC) JCCC catchment area. Adaptability helps the JCCC achieve its ambitious mission with continuous evaluation and planning activities, periodic evaluations by a reformulated External Advisory Board (EAB), focused ad-hoc reviews from consultants, and frequent opportunities for input from the breadth of the JCCC membership. Working with Teitell to drive forward Center progress is a 12-member senior leadership team, with each member having defined areas of expertise, oversight, and responsibility. JCCC leadership, planning, and evaluation occurs through four independent but related specific aims. Aim 1 is to plan, set, and implement JCCC scientific goals and mission through the Strategic Plan, with ongoing evaluation of progress and corrective actions, to maximize basic, translational, clinical, and population research, emphasizing LAC catchment area needs. Aim 2 is to enlist the JCCC EAB and ad-hoc experts to evaluate progress and identify growth opportunities that enhance cancer research productivity, education, training, and mentoring, and community outreach and engagement activities. Aim 3 is to guide and foster impactful JCCC collaborative and transdisciplinary research through prioritized resource allocation. Aim 4 is to facilitate Center-wide communications amongst Senior Leaders, Program Directors, Shared Resource Directors, members, trainees, and staff to guide the development and growth of the JCCC. With the vision of a new Director, there is excitement to build on historic strengths of the JCCC with a fresh focus on patient...