Leadership Perspective
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in many ways, but one thing it hasn’t changed is the need for science-based and compassionate cancer care. We still face the stark reality that one in three women and one in two men will be diagnosed with some form of cancer and that many will die of it. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 1.8 million new cancer diagnoses and over 606,500 cancer deaths in the United States this year.
Fortunately, another thing that has been unaltered by the pandemic is the collective resolve of everyone at the OSUCCC – James and in the Pelotonia community to end cancer and realize our shared vision of a cancer-free world.
In 2020, Pelotonia — the annual cycling event that raises millions of dollars for cancer research at Ohio State — transformed its usual mass ride into a more personalized platform called My Pelotonia, in which individuals or small groups created their own fundraising experiences in safer settings that were compliant with social distancing recommendations designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
To everyone’s credit, we have adapted to our global circumstances extremely well and have continued the Pelotonia tradition with admirable ingenuity. Pelotonia 2020 drew more than 11,000 participants who raised over $10.5 million and boosted the 12-year Pelotonia fundraising total to more than $217 million — 100% of which goes directly to cancer research at Ohio State thanks to Pelotonia’s major sponsors.
As you will read in this special issue of Frontiers devoted entirely to Pelotonia, the money raised by riders, virtual riders, volunteers and donors supports projects that address many aspects of cancer, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, psychosocial issues, accelerated drug development and large initiatives that help change the landscape of cancer care.
Everyone associated with Pelotonia should be proud of all that you have helped us accomplish through your generosity as we continuously strive — come what may — to offer help and hope to patients and families from around the world.
Harold L. Paz, MD, MS
Executive Vice President and Chancellor for Health Affair, The Ohio State University
CEO, Ohio State Wexner Medical Center
Raphael Pollock, MD, PhD
Director, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
William Farrar, MD
CEO, James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute