2019 was a pivotal year for the OSUCCC – James as we took notable strides in our continuing pursuit of a cancer-free world.
Enclosed is our annual Accomplishments Report, which highlights our many achievements of 2019 that have collectively helped us improve the landscape of cancer research and patient care.
Perhaps foremost among our 2019 accomplishments was establishing the Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology (PIIO), a comprehensive research initiative focused on harnessing the body’s immune system to fight cancer at all levels. Launched last summer through a pledge of $102,265,000 from Pelotonia, an annual cycling event that raises money for cancer research at Ohio State, the PIIO is poised to extend our efforts in immuno-oncology, which is widely considered to be the next frontier in cancer treatment.
Other key initiatives that continued in 2019 include our collaboration with Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center to open central Ohio’s first and only proton therapy center by 2023 at an outpatient cancer center to be built on the university’s west campus, and two Pelotonia-funded statewide initiatives that separately take aim at preventing lung and endometrial (uterine) cancer.
This report contains information about not only those initiatives but also our advances in research-based cancer care, our recruitment of stellar senior-level scientists, and some of the many honors, awards and achievements of our exemplary faculty and staff, whose daily efforts — bolstered by support from our devoted volunteers, donors and a caring community — help us offer hope to patients and families who turn to us for help.
We also have some very sad news. As this Accomplishments Report was being prepared for print, Clara D. Bloomfield, MD, longtime senior adviser to the OSUCCC – James, died following a recent fall at her home. Dr. Bloomfield was an internationally renowned medical scientist whose more than 50 years of research in hematologic malignancies, particularly acute myeloid leukemia, revolutionized science-based personalized treatment for patients. Her passing is a loss not only to our cancer program but to the world. You can read more about her career accomplishments on the OSUCCC – James website and in a future issue of our Frontiers magazine.
For now, we hope you will find our 2019 Accomplishments Report informative and inspiring.
Raphael E. Pollock, MD, PhD, FACS
Director, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
William B. Farrar, MD
Interim CEO, James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute