President Trump Appoints Michael Caputo to Cancer Panel

WASHINGTON, D.C.-OCTOBER 4, 2026-The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the appointment of Michael R. Caputo to the President's Cancer Panel. The panel is an independent federal advisory body charged with monitoring the development and execution of the activities of the National Cancer Program and reporting to the President on progress, efficacy, and opportunities for improvement in the national effort against cancer. The Panel was established by law through the National Cancer Act of 1971.

Caputo brings 35 years of global public affairs experience spanning government, public policy, political campaigns, and the private sector. He previously served as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at HHS in 2020, where he led the Department's communications during the COVID-19 response and helped establish and guide Operation Warp Speed.

"Michael Caputo understands how to bring people together, challenge conventional thinking, and turn ambitious goals into action," said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. "He has spent his career tackling some of the most consequential public policy challenges of our time. On the President's Cancer Panel, he will help drive a national cancer strategy that prioritizes prevention, innovation, transparency, and results for the American people."

"Cancer is personal to me. I've faced this disease myself, and I was fortunate to overcome it," said Caputo. "I know what a cancer diagnosis means for patients and their families - the fear, the uncertainty, and the determination to fight. I am honored to serve on the President's Cancer Panel and to work with President Trump and Secretary Kennedy to advance prevention, accelerate innovation, and help more Americans overcome cancer to live long, healthy lives."

"The President's Cancer Panel helps to identify important issues and opportunities and delivers actionable recommendations directly to the President, that are passed down to the NCI and the rest of the cancer community," said Anthony Letai, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Cancer Institute. "Michael's experience as a cancer survivor will help keep patients and their families at the center of our work as we pursue better ways to prevent, detect, and treat cancer."

Caputo is co-founder and Executive Vice President of Ave Maria Biotech, maker of an indoor airborne virus detector. He also advises the global law firm Boies Schiller Flexner on international public affairs strategy and City of Hope Cancer Institute on its work related to the Trump Administration's Make America Healthy Again policy initiative.

Caputo served as a senior advisor for communications and policy to President Donald Trump's 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns. In 2025, he served as a senior counselor to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. A veteran of the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division, Caputo has also worked with President Ronald Reagan, Congressman Jack Kemp, President George H.W. Bush, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and the U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian national legislatures. His seven years working in Moscow made him a high-profile target of the Russia Collusion hoax.