Institutional
Following an unannounced full resurvey, The Joint Commission granted a three-year reaccreditation to all James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute locations until Feb. 12, 2024. The Joint Commission conducted the resurvey to assess compliance with the Medicare conditions for hospitals through the commission’s deemed status survey process. The Joint Commission also recommended The James for continued Medicare certification effective last Feb. 12. Because the resurvey was virtual due to COVID-19 restrictions, The James will undergo a full on-site survey once conditions are appropriate to resume on-site activity, in accordance with CMS directives.
The OSUCCC – James has earned two more national awards for excellence in patient care delivery from Press Ganey, a health care performance-improvement organization that works with more than 41,000 health care facilities to improve the overall safety, quality and experience of care. 2020 marked the fifth consecutive year the OSUCCC – James has received the Press Ganey® Guardian of Excellence Award®, which recognizes top-performing health care organizations that have achieved the 95th percentile or above for performance in patient experience. Also in 2020, the OSUCCC – James received for the second consecutive year the Press Ganey Pinnacle of Excellence Award®. This honor goes to top-three performing organizations in each award category — in this case, recognizing the OSUCCC – James for consistently high levels of excellence in patient experience over three years.
The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) has certified the OSUCCC – James as an MASCC-Designated Center of Excellence in Supportive Care in Cancer for 2021 to 2024. The OSUCCC – James is only the second institution in the United States to receive this certification, which recognizes oncology centers that demonstrate best practices in supportive cancer care. Certification by the MASCC, an international multidisciplinary organization, honors oncology centers that uphold high standards and provide comprehensive services in supportive cancer care. MASCC members hail from more than 70 countries and represent many specialties.
OSUCCC – James caregivers will work with staff at a large hospital in Germany as part of Magnet4Europe, a randomized trial funded by the European Commission to determine the feasibility of redesigning hospital work environments in six European nations under principles of the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognition Program®. Magnet recognition is the highest honor a U.S. health care organization can receive for quality patient care and professional nursing practice. Through the Magnet4Europe initiative, over 70 hospitals in Belgium, England, Germany, Ireland, Sweden and Norway will be supported by one-to-one “twinning” with an experienced U.S. Magnet-recognized hospital to promote capacity building through transfer of knowledge, skills, tools, technology and best practices. The OSUCCC – James, an ANCC Magnet-designated hospital since 2013, is paired with Klinikum Bremerhaven-Reinkenheide GmBH, a 723-bed hospital in Bremerhaven, Germany.
An OSUCCC – James multidisciplinary pancreatic cancer clinic opened in May at Martha Morehouse Outpatient Care, 2050 Kenny Road, in Columbus, Ohio, to provide patients with diagnostic testing, education and multi-provider assessment — all in one visit. Health care professionals at the full-day clinic can quickly diagnose and establish treatment plans for patients, and ensure their involvement in their care. The clinic is open by referral to patients with non-metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, as well as those with resectable or border-line resectable or locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Services include diagnostics (CT scan), lab work and individual assessment by experts in multiple disciplines. Patients also receive a personalized treatment plan. For referrals, call The James Line at 800-293-5066 or visit go.osu.edu/patientreferral.
The OSUCCC – James has added two Ohio hospital systems to The James Cancer Network (JCN) — a system of collaborations among many institutions in cancer care. Memorial Health in Union County, a not-for-profit community hospital serving Union and five surrounding counties, joined on Feb. 1. With cancer services primarily in Marysville and Urbana, Memorial Health has a robust and growing cancer program. Mercy Health – Lorain, which opened June 1, is part of Mercy Health, the largest health care provider in Ohio. The JCN affiliation is part of a larger alliance between the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and Mercy Health. Mercy Health – Lorain has an exceptional cancer program that offers therapies and surgical technologies for several cancer types.
The Division of Palliative Medicine in Ohio State’s College of Medicine achieved re-designation as a European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Designated Centres of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care Programme. The Division of Palliative Medicine, led by associate professor and director Jillian Gustin, MD, first earned this designation in 2016 and regained it in February 2021. The program includes more than 225 institutions from 49 countries. ESMO’s mission is to improve the quality of cancer care, from prevention and diagnosis to palliative care and patient follow-up, and to educate doctors, cancer patients and the public about the best practices and latest advances in oncology while promoting equal access to optimal cancer care for all.
Ohio State’s colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Optometry and Veterinary Medicine received the 2020 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. This is the second consecutive year that four health science colleges at Ohio State have earned this honor, and the fifth year for the College of Nursing. Ohio State is the only academic institution in the country to have four colleges receive this 2020 designation.
Pheo Para Alliance, a patient advocacy organization that supports patients with pheochromocytoma (pheo) and paraganglioma (para) — rare neuroendocrine tumors that can be benign or malignant — has designated The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center as a Center of Excellence for treating and studying these and related genetic illnesses. The Center of Excellence Program recognizes institutions worldwide for providing quality multidisciplinary care for patients with these diseases and for participating in research on the underlying molecular causes. The centers of excellence also provide professional and lay education about pheo and para in the areas they serve. Physicians from several specialties treat these patients at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and the OSUCCC – James, including specialists in the departments of Surgery, Internal Medicine (divisions of Medical Oncology; Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism; Human Genetics) and Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, as well as the new Comprehensive Adrenal Program.
Team and Individual
Jennifer Woyach, MD, a professor in the Division of Hematology at Ohio State, has agreed to serve as co-leader of the Leukemia Research (LR) Program at the OSUCCC along with current co-leader Ramiro Garzon, MD, who is also a professor in the Division of Hematology. Woyach, a longstanding member of the LR Program, is a hematologist-oncologist who specializes in treating patients with blood cancers, particularly chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and B-cell lymphomas. Her research focuses on targeted therapies for CLL and on strategies to overcome resistance to those therapies. She led a collaborative effort that identified the mechanism of resistance to the BTK inhibitor drug called ibrutinib in CLL, and she has led preclinical and clinical studies to identify drugs that can help patients with CLL overcome ibrutinib resistance.
A report by OSUCCC – James researchers on data suggesting that even short-term e-cig use can cause cellular inflammation in never-smoker adults was one of the most highly cited articles published in 2019 in the journal Cancer Prevention Research. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) highlighted the 2019 most-cited research articles, also known as The Best of the AACR Journals, prior to the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting in May 2021. Peter Shields, MD, deputy director of the OSUCCC, was senior and corresponding author of the article, titled “Effects of Electronic Cigarette Constituents on the Human Lung: A Pilot Clinical Trial.” Min-Ae Song, PhD, a member of the Cancer Control Program at the OSUCCC – James and an assistant professor in Ohio State’s College of Public Health, was first author. They and their colleagues reported the first evidence of biological changes correlated with e-cig users who had never previously smoked.
Yiping Yang, MD, PhD, professor and director of the Division of Hematology at Ohio State, and a member of the Leukemia Research Program at the OSUCCC – James, was inducted into the Association of American Physicians (AAP). Yang was nominated for his pioneering studies on the critical role of the CD40 co-stimulating protein in initiating T cell-dependent immune responses, and for his work on Toll-like receptors in overcoming immune tolerance, which has served as a guiding principle in cancer immunotherapy.
The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) elected Kami Maddocks, MD, associate professor in the Division of Hematology at Ohio State, as clinical mentoring co-chair for the 2021-2022 cohort of the Lymphoma Scientific Research Mentoring Program. In this national role, she will direct curriculum and mentoring for LRF clinical track scholars for two years. In addition, Maddocks, who also is in the Leukemia Research Program at the OSUCCC – James, was selected to serve on the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) new Subcommittee on Clinical Trials for a three-year term.
Matthew Ringel, MD, professor and director of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Ohio State, where he also co-leads the Cancer Biology Program at the OSUCCC– James, was appointed editor-in-chief of the journal Endocrine-Related Cancer. A thyroid cancer specialist, Ringel co-directs the Center for Cancer Engineering and serves as deputy director of Ohio State’s Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences. His lab focuses on molecular mechanisms of thyroid cancer invasion and metastasis, with a special interest on pathways that regulate cancer progression.
Larry Copeland, MD, a professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Ohio State and member of the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC – James, received a 2020-21 Distinguished Service Award from the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO). This award recognizes individuals who, over an extended period, display continuous outstanding meritorious service in the field of gynecologic oncology. The award was presented at the SGO’s 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer.
James Rocco, MD, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Ohio State, was included on Becker’s ASC Review’s 10 More ENT Physicians to Know for his work in head and neck cancer, including parotid, tongue, laryngeal and HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers. Rocco also is in the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC – James and serves as director of the Head and Neck Disease-Specific Research Group.
Robert Merritt, MD, associate professor and director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Ohio State, was chosen as a recipient of the 2021 Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award from the The Arnold P. Gold Foundation. These awards recognize graduating students and faculty members who demonstrate clinical excellence and outstanding compassion in the delivery of care, and who show respect for patients, families and health care colleagues.
Sharla Wells-Di Gregorio, PhD, assistant professor in Ohio State’s College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Palliative Medicine, and a member of the Cancer Control Program at the OSUCCC – James, received the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) Outstanding Education and Training Award for 2021. The award goes to an APOS leader who has enhanced the field of psychosocial oncology through the education and training of new investigators and/or clinicians and fostered the professional development of psychosocial oncologists.
Payal Desai, MD, associate professor in the Division of Hematology at Ohio State, where she also serves as director of sickle cell research and co-director of the Sickle Cell Program, was selected as co-chair of the Sickle Cell Disease Coalition’s (SCDC) Research & Clinical Trials Working Group. In this role, Desai will help lead the group’s strategy and guide the national clinical research conversation. At the OSUCCC – James, she is part of a multidisciplinary team that treats patients with sickle cell disease and provides them with opportunities for clinical trials on alternative therapies to treat their illness.
Heather Hampel, MS, LGC, professor and associate director of the Division of Human Genetics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, was elected secretary/treasurer-elect for the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC). Hampel is a cancer genetic counselor at the OSUCCC – James, where she also is associate director for biospecimen research. The NSGC is the only professional organization that promotes the professional interests of genetic counselors. Hampel’s two-year term began in January. She’ll serve the first year as secretary/treasurer-elect and become secretary/treasurer in 2022.
The Journal of Natural Products honored A. Douglas Kinghorn, PhD, DSc, a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, in a special issue highlighting his impact on the field of natural products and his career accomplishments in the academic, private and public sectors, including 14 patents, 430 research articles, 80 book chapters and more. Kinghorn is a professor and the Jack L. Beal Chair in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy for Ohio State’s College of Pharmacy. The special issue is a well-deserved recognition for a remarkable career.
Mary Dillhoff, MD, associate professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology at Ohio State and member of the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC – James, was one of six physicians named to the inaugural class of the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA) Academy. The AHPBA is a non-profit organization devoted to relieving human suffering caused by HPB disorders by improving education, training, innovation, research and patient care. The association cultivates leadership skills among HPB surgeons to help build a pipeline for the future of AHPBA. Its more than 1,250 members are also members of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA).
Sarah Wall, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the Division of Hematology at Ohio State, was accepted into the 2021 American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) Clinical Research Training Course held in Park City, Utah. She is one of 12 fellows and/or junior faculty selected competitively for the course, which enhances participants’ skills in formal presentations, research subject eligibility and recruitment, clinical trial design, data management and quality control, grant writing and more.
Peter Kneuertz, MD, Desmond D’Souza, MD, and Robert Merritt, MD, produced an abstract titled “National Trends and Outcomes of Segmentectomy in the Society of Thoracic Surgery Database” that was selected for inclusion among the 2021 Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Richard E. Clark Memorial Papers for General Thoracic Surgery. The Clark Memorial Papers represent some of the top-rated abstracts at the STS annual meeting, held last January. Their abstract was presented during the session on General Thoracic Top-Scoring Abstracts. All three physicians are faculty members in the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Ohio State. Merritt serves as division director.