Bruce Chabner, M.D., will deliver the third Carol Bell Lectureship at the University
of Nebraska Medical Center on Sept. 7. Dr. Chabner is director of the Clinical
Cancer Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, the teaching hospital for Harvard
Medical School, in Boston and chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology.
Dr. Chabner was formerly the director of the Division of Cancer Treatment at
the National Cancer Institute where he directed the Drug Discovery Program.
He played a key role in the development of several anticancer drugs including
Taxol, a drug that interferes with the growth of cancer cells, ultimately destroying
the cells. It has proven to be one of the most active anticancer drugs.
Taxol is used in the treatment of cancer of the ovaries, breast, certain types
of lung cancer, and a cancer of the skin and mucous membranes, more commonly
found in patients with AIDS.
The lectureship was initiated with gifts to the University of Nebraska Foundation
honoring Carol Bell, who died of cancer in 1997, and carries on her desire to
educate others about cancer and the importance of early detection. She was the
wife of Bob Bell, president of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.
The lectureship brings nationally recognized cancer experts to UNMC that focus
on cancer and cancer research. Donald Coffey, Ph.D., a Johns Hopkins University
prostate cancer expert and past president of the American Association for Cancer
Research, delivered the first lecture in 1998. Lawrence Einhorn, M.D., a renowned
prostate cancer expert who successfully treated Lance Armstrong, the 1999 and
2000 Tour de France winner, for testicular cancer, delivered the second lecture
in 1999.
This years lecture, which is targeted toward a health professional audience,
will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the UNMC Eppley Science Hall Amphitheater.
"We are honored to have a nationally renowned physician and scientist
who has been at the forefront of developing new and better cancer drugs,"
said Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center. Under
Dr. Chabners leadership, Taxol and other successful and promising drugs have
been brought into clinical trials where they are evaluated potentially as new
and better treatments. With the completion of the Human Genome project, cancer
researchers can use this genetic information to design new agents that specifically
target cancer cells. The next decade
promises to be a very exciting time for development of more effective anticancer
drugs.
A Shelbyville, Ill., native, Dr. Chabner
earned his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, in 1961 from Yale College
and his medical degree, cum laude, from Harvard Medical School in 1965.
From 1972 until 1995, he held various academic appointments at the National
Cancer Institute, including senior investigator, head of the Laboratory of Chemical
Pharmacology, chief of the Clinical Pharmacology Branch, and associate director
of the clinical oncology program. He was named deputy clinical director of the
Division of Cancer Treatment in 1980 and from 1982 to 1995 served as director
of the Division of Cancer Treatment at the NCI.
In 1995, he was appointed a full professor of medicine at Harvard Medical
School.
Dr. Chabner was named in 1996 as chief medical officer at Dana Farber/Partners
Cancer Care in Boston and in 1999 served as associate director for clinical
science at Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. He has held his current hospital
appointments as director of the Clinical Cancer Center at Massachusetts General
Hospital and chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology since 1995.
Dr. Chabner has published more than 200 publications, as well as 15 books and
manuscripts. Among his many honors, he has received the Distinguished Oncologist
for 1986, Dayton Oncology Society, Public Health Service Meritorious Service
Medal, the Steven Beering Award of Indiana University for Advancement of Biomedical
Science, and the Kantor Family Prize for Cancer Research Excellence.
The UNMC Eppley Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute designated Clinical
Cancer Center — a distinction held by only 60 centers in the country. Of the
more than $40 million in competitive, external research grants and contracts
awarded to UNMC in 1999-2000, cancer-related research accounted for over one-half
of that amount.
The University of Nebraska Foundation is a non-profit corporation supplementing
support for students, faculty, facilities and programs at the University of
Nebraskas four campuses through gifts from alumni, friends, corporations and
other foundations.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state. Its educational
programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in
Nebraska than any other institution. Through its commitment to research, education,
outreach and patient care, UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s
leading centers for research in cancer, genetics, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative
diseases and arthritis. During the past year, UNMCs research funding increased
by 31 percent and now exceeds $40 million, including more than $25 million in
federal funding from such sources as the National Institutes of Health, the
National Science Foundation, Department of Defense and Veterans Administration.