A World of Limitless Possibilities

Last night, the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center hosted "Progress & Promise," its annual address to the community. This is a chance for the general public to hear about the advancements made at the Cancer Center during the past year, as well as future plans for 2012 and beyond.

This year's program highlighted two important aspects of the Cancer Center. The first being that 2011 marked the center's 40th anniversary. While the seeds of UAB's cancer program were first planted in 1968 with the death of Governor Lurleen B. Wallace from cancer, the Cancer Center really took shape in 1971 when President Richard Nixon declared war on cancer by signing the National Cancer Act. This piece of legislation established "comprehensive" cancer centers that would be at the forefront of cancer research, treatment and education. UAB was designated one of the first of these centers, and it has maintained that prestigious status ever since.

A Survivor's Inspiring Story

Dianne Poe with six of her seven grandchildren.

Tonight I had the opportunity to meet Dianne Poe, a breast cancer survivor who was treated at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dianne was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, and ended up traveling from her hometown of Lanett, Alabama, to UAB for her treatment. Tonight, she shared her cancer journey at the Cancer Center’s annual Progress & Promise event.

As I listened to Diane tell her story, I was struck by what a courageous and inspiring person she is. Throughout her experience, she maintained a strong, positive attitude, which can be difficult to do when facing a disease such as cancer. And not only is Dianne a warm and gracious person, she’s also a perfect example of the translational research that we do here at the Cancer Center.

When Dianne came to the Cancer Center, she enrolled in a clinical trial that was born out of basic science research conducted right here in our laboratories. She was one of the first patients to enroll in this trial, and in just over a year, she was cancer-free. This is what we refer to as “translational research” – that process of taking scientific findings from the laboratory and translating them into therapies or treatments for patients in the clinic. Our ability to conduct groundbreaking and innovative translational research is one of the many things that sets the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center apart.

I’m so honored to have had the opportunity to meet and get to know Dianne tonight, and I thank her for sharing her story with me. She, along with all of our patients, is a reminder of what we at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center are working toward every day – a world where cancer is no longer a major public health problem.

-Ed Partridge, M.D.

Thank You for Your Support!

As we start 2011, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have supported the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center in the past year. I am so grateful for the dedication and generosity of our donors, and I can honestly say that we could not do much of the work we do at the Cancer Center without them.

Drs. Andres Forero and Tong Zhou are just two of the scientists
to have work funded by the Breast Cancer Research
Foundation of Alabama.

In 2010, charitable donations allowed us to open the much-anticipated Hazelrig-Salter Radiation Oncology Center, which is changing the way we deliver radiation therapy to our patients. We are also quickly setting the standards for the research and treatment of breast cancer, thanks to one of our community partners, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama. This organization works tirelessly to raise money for breast cancer research, which it donates entirely to our center. They have provided us with critical seed money to investigate drugs and launch basic science research, and we are now finally moving those results out of the laboratory and into patients. In short, their investment is paying off.

I do want to stress, however, that whether a donation is $5 or $5000, every dollar makes a difference. For every dollar donated to the Cancer Center, we can leverage it for up to $16 from outside sources, making the Cancer Center a good investment.

The support of our community is critical to our success, and I thank every one of our donors for their generosity. I encourage anyone interested in learning more about the Cancer Center to attend Progress & Promise, our annual report to the community, on January 6 at 5:30 p.m. at the Alys Stephens Center. There, I will be sharing in more depth the progress we’ve made in the fight against cancer and what is we’re working on for the future.

Again, thank you for your support.

-Ed Partridge, M.D.