Meet Rayne Rouce, MD: ASGCT Volunteer Rockstar

ASGCT is a volunteer-led organization, and it could not effectively pursue its mission and strategic vision without the commitment of its volunteers. The Society does so through 33 standing, scientific, and board committees supported by more than 400 member volunteers. We recognize our committee leaders for their time, commitment, and expertise, and appreciate their willingness to help ASGCT advance the field of gene and cell therapy in a unique and meaningful way.

Dr. Rayne Rouce is a pediatric oncologist and physician scientist whose research and clinical interests focus on refractory hematologic malignancies. She has spent the past 10 years in the translational research laboratories of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy (CAGT) at Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine, leading a translational and clinical research program creating novel early phase cell and gene therapy products for refractory cancer and translating them to first-in-human immunotherapy trials.

She is especially passionate about addressing barriers to access to novel cancer therapies and is working within society groups to identify and address these barriers. Dr. Rouce also leads the Task Force for Promoting Diversity in Clinical Trials within the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center (DLDCCC) and is the Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement for the DLDCCC and Baylor College of Medicine. She has gained notoriety in her work to enhance diversity in clinical trials leading her to present on this important topic to cancer centers, patient advocacy groups, and scientific organizations around the country. She leads the DEI initiatives for ASH’s Minority Recruitment Initiative, ASGCT, and ASTCT, thus integrating her passion for science and advocacy, and is active in national working groups inclusive of multiple stakeholders with a shared goal of enhancing access specifically to cancer cell therapy trials. In these roles, she leads numerous institutional, national and community initiatives within biomedical science.

Dr. Rouce leads the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee to support parity, representation, and opportunity within the Society and the gene and cell therapy field across all social identities, including gender, race/ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, socioeconomic, and (dis)ability status. The committee provides awards and scholarships to support underrepresented patients, communities, and researchers in CGT, and works locally and nationally to ensure the diversity of future CGT leaders. From published articles on payment policy to Capitol Hill briefings with legislators to her day job as a pediatric oncologist and scientist, Dr. Rouce continues to be a multidisciplinary rockstar on her committee and at ASGCT as a whole.

ASGCT thanks Dr. Rouce for her service on ASGCT’s DEI Committee as well as ASGCT’s Education and Communications Committees. Our members serve as subject matter experts for Society-led projects, including Annual Meeting programming, through both our standing committees and scientific committees and we could not do the work we do without them.

For questions on ASGCT committees or volunteer process, please contact Dani Gale (dgale@asgct.org).

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