On Monday, Feb. 8, the National Cancer Institute officially kicked off commemoration activities for the 50th anniversary of the National Cancer Act of 1971. Throughout the year, the National Cancer Institute will join hundreds of organizations, and even more individuals, to tell stories of struggle and discovery, pain and hope, and challenges and opportunities that mark the past 50 years of the National Cancer Act, and look to the potential advances that will be possible thanks to this work.
The National Cancer Institute was established as part of the National Cancer Act of 1971 with the commitment to fight the “war on cancer.” It was envisioned that these community-focused cancer centers would be recognized for their cutting-edge cancer research, clinical trials, patient-centered cancer care, and the training of biomedical cancer researchers and health care providers to decrease the burden of cancer in their communities, across the nation and the world. Today, there are 71 centers in 36 states earning the coveted NCI designation.
Don’t miss the latest update by several UT Health experts, including: Ruben Mesa, MD, FACP, executive director, Mays Cancer Center, William Henrich, MD, MACP, president, UT Health San Antonio, Bob Leverence, MD, FACP, chief medical officer, UT Health Physicians, Thomas Patterson, MD, chief, division of infection diseases, UT Health San Antonio, and Mark Bonnen, MD, chief medical officer, Mays Cancer Center.
Learn the current status of what we know about the COVID-19 vaccines and immunocompromised patients as well as the vaccination plan for cancer patients.
Ruben Mesa, MD, FACP, executive director of the Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, spoke to viewers during KSAT 12’s Q&A segment about the importance of cancer patients keeping their appointments during the pandemic and the measures the Cancer Center has taken to protect its patients and give them the best possible care.
“I wrote this because of the COVID pandemic,” said Dharam Kaushik, MD, of the Department of Urology and the Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson. “The question before me was, how courageous are we, how resilient are we? It made me dig down deeper and think about the meaning of courage, including, from a surgeon’s perspective, how I view it.”
Clinical Investigation Research Training (CIRT) Virtual Event on April 23
James P. Allison, PhD, chair of immunology and executive director of the immunotherapy platform at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, will be the keynote speaker on Friday, Apr. 23, for the virtual clinical research educational event supported by the Department of Clinical Investigation at Brooke Army Medical Center. Learn more about the CIRT Virtual Event
Take a virtual tour of the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies. Learn about some of the important research being performed in the laboratories in this nationally renowned center and about the legacy of the Barshop family on advancing care for Texans.
UT Health San Antonio is extending the suspension of university-related travel, both domestic and international, for all faculty, staff and students through July 1, 2021. This extension applies to employees and trainees that have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
Information sessions have been hosted for employees to learn more about new roles that will support the Enterprise Design for Growth and Effectiveness (EDGE) initiative for the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine. Many new positions have been developed to create the service delivery model necessary to support the growth of the Long School of Medicine in areas including IT, HR, Credentialing, Faculty Process Support and Finance. Find video recordings and presentations from these live information sessions on the right side of the EDGE Job Postings website.
The 2021 Practical Application of New Agents in Oncology conference was held February 5-6, 2021. For the first time ever, the event was hosted virtually. The event was organized by the Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, by Daruka Mahadevan, MD, PhD, John Sarantopoulos, MD, and Kun Zhang. The conference focused on recently approved, cutting-edge anticancer therapeutics and those with the potential to be approved in a multitude of cancer diagnoses.
Please send stories and announcements to CancerCenterCommunications@uthscsa.eduby noon the Thursday before the next edition. Future Focus is produced by Marketing, Communications & Media at the Mays Cancer Center.