Bill Gimson to head Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas 

Bill Gimson will lead the new Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas as its executive director.

CPRIT is charged with using $3 billion over a 10-year period to fund grants for cancer research and prevention. The money comes from general obligation bonds issued by the state and authorized by passage of a statewide proposition in 2007. CPRIT is governed by an 11-member oversight committee.

Gimson was chosen out of a field of candidates through a national search. He has 35 years of administrative experience with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. He recently retired as chief operating officer at the CDC.

"Bill's extensive experience managing a large, multibillion dollar scientific organization made him the perfect choice to steward CPRIT through the challenges of building a new grant organization focused on fighting cancer," said Jimmy Mansour, CPRIT Oversight Committee chairman. "He has the ability to work with scientific and medical leaders to make the strategic vision for CPRIT a reality."

Gimson started at his new post on Monday.