Dear Mays Cancer Center Community,

I’m delighted to share with you that as of today, Aug. 13, 2020, the Mays Cancer Center has officially been renewed as a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center for the next five years. After a highly competitive process, the National Cancer Institute empowers us to continue our mission to Decrease the burden of cancer in San Antonio, South Texas and beyond!

Ruben Mesa, MD, director of the Mays Cancer Center, has been elected to serve as an at-large officer on the national board of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Dr. Mesa has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator of more than 70 clinical trials for patients with myeloid disorders and has played a lead role in several Food and Drug Administration approvals for treatments.

The Mays Cancer Center’s orthopaedic oncology, gynecologic oncology and cardiothoracic oncology were all recognized as Champion of the Year for their stellar patient experience over the last nine months. Other departments exceeding the average rating were radiation oncology, surgical oncology, medical oncology and hematology, placing all of them as top performers. The rankings were obtained by reviewing the patient experience surveys distributed by UT Health Physicians after each visit. The surveys gave patients the opportunity to rate their visit and send real-time feedback to help us better serve our patients. Congratulations to everyone for your continued dedication to our patients!

Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPH, chair and professor of the Department of Population Health Sciences, has been elected to a five-year term on the board of directors for the CDC Foundation. Established by Congress as an independent, nonprofit organization, the CDC Foundation is the sole entity authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support the critical health protection mission of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Do you know someone that goes above and beyond at work? Recognize your Mays Cancer Center coworkers for their outstanding work in providing excellent, patient-centered care by nominating them to receive a Silver Star award.

Through the generous support of the San Antonio Cancer Council, we're excited to announce that starting on Monday, August 17, we will be offering complimentary valet services for all of our patients and their families.

Meet Jasmin Perez. She was nominated by her peers to be one of our Mays Cancer Center Cancer Heroes. For over 12 years, Jasmin has been driving patients to and from their appointments. She has always enjoyed getting to know our patients and keeping them safe. Because of the pandemic, you can now find Jasmin at the entrance of the Mays Cancer Center, where she has been screening and checking temperatures for our patients and employees since COVID-19 struck in March. In this new role, she has had to adapt to different ways to interact with patients and keep them safe. Every day she educates patients and employees about COVID-19 symptoms and ensures that our employees don't have symptoms when starting their shift. She stresses the importance of wearing a mask to protect our immune-compromised patients. Thank you, Jasmin, for quickly adapting to such an essential role for our cancer patients and our employees' safety.

Dr. Erika Brigmon Ibarra, a 32-year-old surgeon resident at UT Health San Antonio, shares her personal and difficult journey of recovery from the coronavirus.

In the face of a pandemic, the only risk-free course of action is to never go outside your front door. But it’s summer, you’re stir crazy and outside your window a big, beautiful highway is calling.

Even as the coronavirus speeds on, the road will beckon for many. Estimates of the number vary widely, but it’s clear that millions of Americans will travel this summer. The all-American road trip is back. But can you get behind the wheel in a relatively safe manner, reduce any risk and enjoy the country?

The COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium, which includes the Mays Cancer Center, announced results July 22 of its second national observational study. The study compares the outcomes of cancer patients diagnosed with COVID-19 to the treatments they received. Dimpy Shah, MD, PhD, is a co-author of the study published in the journal Cancer Discovery.