Pursuing a Cancer-Free World
By: Michael A. Caligiuri, MD, Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center and CEO of the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Recent successes at the OSUCCC – James have furthered our pursuit of a cancer-free world.
Our fifth annual Pelotonia bicycling event, held in August, attracted a record 6,723 riders from 41 states and nine countries, plus 3,451 virtual riders and 2,445 volunteers. The amount raised during Pelotonia exceeded $19 million, pushing the five-year total to more than $61 million.
Every dollar raised by Pelotonia supports research at the OSUCCC – James. That work is furthered by outstanding recruits such as Raphael Pollock, MD, Phd, recruited from MD Anderson Cancer Center to serve as director of the Division of Surgical Oncology at Ohio State and as chief of surgical services at the OSUCCC – James.
Vinay Puduvalli, MBBS, our new director of the Division of Neuro-Oncology, specializes in treating gliomas and other primary brain tumors. His experience and success in patient care, clinical trials, and basic and translational research make him an outstanding addition to our faculty.
Matthew Ringel, MD, and his collaborators at Ohio State and Case Western Reserve University have received an $11.3 million, five-year renewal of their Program Project Grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Their work is helping to meet the challenge of thyroid cancer. The NCI has also awarded Matt a prestigious Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant for thyroid cancer, which also involves investigators at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Progress has been made by OSUCCC – James researchers in understanding inflammation and cancer. Because there is no routine cancer, and every case is biologically different, this work will be important in helping us find new approaches for preventing and treating each person’s malignancy.
The caring and commitment of our nursing team was recently recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with their highly prestigious Magnet® designation. The award recognizes quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Only 392 hospitals out of more than 6,000 across the United States have earned Magnet status. This was a well-deserved honor for all our James nurses, who work daily toward our vision of a cancer-free world.
Please join us in spreading the news of our successes and the steps we have made toward a cancer-free world by sharing this post with your friends and followers.