Welcome to the 2013 Accomplishments Report of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James).
The Ohio State University’s cancer program, embodied in both our OSUCCC and The James, is working to create a cancer-free world, one person, one discovery at a time. We strive to eradicate cancer by integrating groundbreaking research with personalized patient care and excellence in education.
This report offers a glance at some of our notable achievements and activities of 2013 as we continued pursuing our vision of a world without cancer.
From the Director/CEO
Collaboration is the key to conquering a foe as complex as cancer, which science increasingly shows to be biologically different from one patient to another.
At the OSUCCC – James, we have an “army” of approximately 2,400 people from around Ohio State’s campus – researchers, clinicians, nurses, technologists, therapists, administrators, dietitians, volunteers and others – who are working together to create a cancer-free world.
We realize that, because there is no routine cancer, there will never be routine ways to prevent, detect and treat it. But our more than 300 researchers are identifying molecular elements within individual cancers so we can target them for treatment.
To more fully leverage the breadth and depth of this large university, we recruit some of the brightest minds in cancer research from a range of disciplines. Our researchers represent 12 of the 14 colleges at Ohio State, and their discoveries are consistently published in leading scientific journals.
Equally impressive is their ability to translate molecular and genetic discoveries to innovative patient care through clinical trials. In 2013, more than 7,000 patients at the OSUCCC – James, or 27 percent of all who were diagnosed and treated here, participated in clinical trials. That’s well above the national average of 3-5 percent. Our goal is to involve more patients in these studies so we can keep moving the field forward.
Our collaborative efforts will become stronger in 2014 with the completion and opening of our 21-level James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, the model for the 21st century cancer hospital. Its visionary design will more closely integrate researchers and clinicians so they can accelerate discovery and science-based treatments. This expanded hospital also will help us meet a projected 21-percent increase in patient admissions over the next decade.
And our rising numbers of patients will know they are receiving the finest cancer care, not only from our more than 200 super-subspecialists, each of whom specializes in just one type of cancer, but also from our outstanding nursing staff. Through much hard work, The James in 2013 achieved the highly prestigious Magnet® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The Magnet Recognition Program® recognizes health care organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Only 7 percent of hospitals in America have earned Magnet status, a distinction that reflects strong collaboration among nurses and nursing leaders.
I would be remiss in not mentioning the unwavering support the OSUCCC – James receives from our generous central Ohio community and advocates nationwide. Among this support is Pelotonia, an annual grassroots bicycle tour that raises millions of dollars for cancer research at Ohio State. Pelotonia 13 raised a record $19,007,104, bringing the five-year total for this event to more than $61 million.
Through the dedication of our James Foundation Board and thousands of donors, the OSUCCC – James raised a record $70.9 million from more than 122,000 donors in the past fiscal year. That dollar total is a 36-percent increase over fiscal 2012.
Combining philanthropy with our growing portfolio of external funding from agencies such as the National Cancer Institute, along with our wealth of resources from across the Ohio State campus, we will collaboratively continue to pursue a world without cancer.
This report highlights our 2013 research and advancement, awards and achievements, and recruitment of researchers and clinicians. I hope you find it inspiring.
Michael A. Caligiuri, MD
Director, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
CEO, The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute