Laurie Glimcher, president and CEO of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, will step down on October 1 and medical oncologist and researcher Benjamin Ebert will be the next president and CEO.

Glimcher, a research scientist and the first woman to lead the 77-year-old institute, will assume the title of president emeritus and plans to focus on mentoring, special projects and cancer immunology research at Dana-Farber. She took office in 2016, and the institute boasted of her role over the past five years in developing half of all cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“Eight years ago, I began this journey with a deep appreciation for the extraordinary research Dana-Farber has produced since its beginnings and for the clinical excellence Dana-Farber provides patients and families,” Glimcher said in a statement Tuesday. “And now, as I look back on my tenure, I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished by providing world-class care to our patients, leading in innovation and discovering new treatments and cures.”

During Glimcher’s tenure, three regional sites were added, patient volume increased 51%, and grant and industry-funded research funding increased 62%. Plans are also moving forward to build a new 300-bed hospital for adult cancer patients and a new collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The institute’s board of directors announced that Ebert, chair of the Department of Medical Oncology, will become president and CEO next month. He currently oversees more than 300 faculty members and more than 80 cancer research laboratories, the institute said.

“As we plan for the future of cancer care and research, we are confident he will approach this new challenge like everyone else – with integrity, thoughtfulness, care and compassion,” said Chairman Josh Bekenstein. “His leadership and experience will be extremely useful as we plan the proposed new cancer hospital and clinical collaboration.”