The University of Nebraska Medical Center will offer a free Mini-Medical
School series titled, Conquering Cancer: Breakthroughs in Research and
Treatment. A variety of topics will be discussed every Wednesday, from
April 21 through May 12, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The series, which will be
held at College Park in Grand Island, Highways 34 and 281, and will broadcast
from the UNMC College of Nursing in Omaha.
The series is free to the public, including free parking and class guides.
Certificates of participation will be presented on the last night of the
series, May 12. Eleven physicians, cancer researchers, geneticists
and other health care providers will discuss a variety of topics.
Participants will learn about UNMCs current and future role in cancer
research and treatment and how it benefits people. They will also learn
about behind-the-scenes work being done by UNMC world-famous cancer researchers,
including the innovative treatments that have been developed. Presenters
will talk about discoveries by UNMC researchers that are providing new
knowledge about cancer and how to prevent it.
Local groups assisting with the project are College Park partners, St.
Francis Medical Center, the Central Nebraska Oncology Nursing Society,
Hall County/Grand Island Public Health Department, Veterans Affairs Greater
Nebraska Health Care System, Cooperative Extension, Central Community College
Nursing program and the Tobacco Awareness and Education Project. The organizations
will staff display booths during the series.
“Mini-Medical School is a chance to show why research is important,
how it is being done and hear from our physicians and scientists who are
making a difference in the fight against cancer,” said Harold M. Maurer,
M.D., UNMC chancellor. Over the four weeks, the public can learn more about
the ever-changing field of cancer research and how we are turning research
findings into life-saving and life-extending treatments for our patients.
One out of every three Americans will get cancer in their lifetime,
according to the American Cancer Society. Three decades ago only 33 percent
of people with cancer survived. Today, more than 50 percent survive. Today
there are more than 8 million cancer survivors in the United States.
Dates and topics of the UNMC Mini-Medical School series are as follows:
Wednesday, April 21
The Future of Cancer Research and Treatment, James O. Armitage, M.D.,
UNMC chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine
New Developments in Cancer Treatments, Margaret A. Tempero, M.D., interim
director, UNMC Eppley Cancer Center
What is Cancer and How Do You Get It, Barry I. Gold, Ph.D., interim
director, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases.
Wednesday, April 28
The Critical Role of Laboratory Research, Judith K. Christman, Ph.D.,
chairwoman, UNMC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Translating Research Into New Therapies, Tony A. Hollingsworth, Ph.D.,
associate professor, UNMC Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied
Diseases
New Cancer Drugs, Gary C. Yee, Pharm.D., chairman, UNMC Department
of Pharmacy Practice
Wednesday, May 5
Overview of Genetics in Cancer and Developing Future Treatments, Warren
G. Sanger, Ph.D., director, cytogenetics, UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute for
Genetics and Rehabilitation
Radiologic Innovations in Cancer Detection, David D. Stark, M.D., chairman,
UNMC Department of Radiology;
Prevention: How to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer, Jan R. Atwood, Ph.D.,
associate director, Cancer Prevention and Control, UNMC Eppley Cancer Center.
Wednesday, May 12
Risk and Screenings for Colon Cancer, Hemant Roy, M.D., associate professor
of internal medicine and Risk and Early Detection of Breast Cancer, Stefano
Tarantolo, M.D.
To register for the program, call Harold Reutter, (308) 385-5015. Seating
is limited. Registration is requested.
Of the $34.3 million in competitive, external research grants and contracts
awarded to UNMC in 1997-98, cancer-related research accounted for about
one-half of that amount. The UNMC Eppley Cancer Center was created in 1993
by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents in a move that united cancer
researchers throughout the UNMC campus into a larger single entity.
It marked a major first step toward Eppley’s quest to eventually become
a comprehensive cancer center, the most prestigious designation awarded
by the NCI. The UNMC Eppley Cancer Center is a NCI designated cancer center
— a distinction held by only 55 centers in the country.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education and patient care, UNMC has
established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for cancer research
and treatment and solid organ transplantation. UNMC’s educational programs
are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska
than any other institution.