|
Director’s Update
|
|
<<Greeting>>,
The summer solstice on June 21 was the longest day of the year and the official start of summer. Every day our patients face fear due to a cancer diagnosis, grueling treatments and uncertainty about the future, which can certainly make the day feel long. It is our job to bring the light of hope to our patients and their families. It is the driving force behind everything that we do.
During June, National Cancer Survivor Month and on Father’s Day, we celebrated the many individuals and families for whom we’re fighting, including two remarkable men, both fathers and grandfathers, whose lives have been forever changed by cancer and are living proof of the power of hope. On Juneteenth, we had the great opportunity to learn why that date is so important in African American history and culture — and to consider our role, as a national cancer center, to advance equity.
Massey reinforced our position as a leader in cancer research and care at the ASCO conference in Chicago and by hosting our inaugural Lawrence Research Retreat to add to our legacy of excellence. And we came together at Women and Wellness to celebrate the power of women in this fight and to advance critical research and clinical trials. It was certainly a busy spring here at Massey. As summer begins, we have much to celebrate in our continued quest for a future without cancer.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Winn, M.D.
Director and Lipman Chair in Oncology, VCU Massey Cancer Center
Senior Associate Dean for Cancer Innovation, VCU School of Medicine
|
|
|
Be Informed
Learn how we are improving health
|
|
Massey makes distinguished contributions to ASCO Annual Meeting
Massey Director Robert A. Winn, M.D., and team leaders including Leslie Randall, M.D.; Katie Barnes, vice president of the Cancer Service Line; and fellow Ian Bouligny, M.D., attended the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago in June. Winn spoke on a panel about cancer disparities among U.S. military veterans; other members of the Massey team presented research, recruited the best and brightest to our cancer center and collaborated with leaders in the field from across the globe.
“It’s really exciting for Massey to be here to talk about our innovations … [and] how are we breaking down silos and barriers and conquering cancer … because we are all in this together.”
– Katie Barnes
|
|
|
|
Massey physician-researcher Leslie Randall, M.D., presented research findings and discussed how presenting and attending sessions at research conferences benefits the communities that Massey serves.
|
|
|
Ian Bouligny, M.D., a hematology-oncology fellow at Massey, discussed his research with attendees during a poster session at the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting.
|
|
“We need to be engaged in the type of research that makes a difference for our patients.”
– Leslie Randall, M.D.
|
|
|
Inaugural Lawrence Research Retreat continues founding director’s bold vision and legacy
Massey’s inaugural Lawrence Research Retreat in June was a day filled with firsts. The event honors Walter Lawrence Jr., M.D., Massey Cancer Center’s first director, a leader in surgical oncology and a lifelong proponent of health equity. The day was an opportunity for Massey leaders and researchers to share updates on progress in Massey’s strategic priorities across research, education/training and community outreach and engagement. Massey Director Robert A. Winn, M.D., kicked off the day with opening remarks, before keynote speaker Raphael E. Pollock, M.D., Ph.D., director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, took the podium to talk about innovations to combat a rare cancer. The event closed with the American Cancer Society presenting an award to Winn for his volunteerism and commitment.
|
|
“Every organization depends on the foundation that was built before it. For Dr. Lawrence, that was a cancer center that cares about its people.”
– Robert A. Winn, M.D., Massey director
|
|
|
Be Innovative
Check out our latest research news
|
|
New program provides free cancer screenings for low-income and uninsured women
VCU Health and Massey are offering free breast and cervical cancer screening services to low-income and uninsured women in Virginia through a federally funded program called Every Woman’s Life. This includes breast exams, mammograms, pelvic exams and Pap tests as well as other diagnostic tests for breast or cervical cancer, as needed. The program is accepting appointment requests; appointments start in July.
|
|
|
Podcast explains benefits of MRI-guided radiation therapy
In the latest episode of the “Healthy with VCU Health” podcast series, Massey physician-researcher Emma Fields, M.D. (Cert.’16/E), explains the benefits of MRI-guided radiation therapy for cancer patients, a new technology that helps radiation oncologists personalize a patient’s treatment plan in real time. Massey is the first cancer center in Virginia to offer this therapy for patients.
|
|
Protein-based therapy overcomes colorectal tumor resistance
Through a new study published in the Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research, Massey researcher Yuesheng Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., has identified a novel therapeutic strategy to more effectively treat colorectal cancer using a recombinant human protein.
|
|
|
Be Involved
Support advances in cancer research
|
|
Women and Wellness evening celebration advances clinical trials at Massey
On June 15, more than 200 women and men gathered at The Jefferson Hotel for the first in-person Women and Wellness celebration since before the pandemic. It was a spectacular evening, as guests mixed and mingled, enjoyed great food, a signature cocktail, music and festivities, while celebrating nearly $200,000 raised for the Women and Wellness Clinical Trials Initiative. Massey Director Robert A. Winn, M.D., and legacy and committee members were joined in a video by cancer survivor and author Suleika Jaouad to share updates on cancer research and the importance of clinical trials, which Jaouad credits with saving her life. Guests also enjoyed a video highlighting the history and impact of Women and Wellness and of clinical trials through support for the Women and Wellness Clinical Trials Initiative.
|
|
|
Save the dates for these Massey events
|
|
Swim Across America: Making waves against cancer one swim (or float) at a time
Saturday, Aug. 27
Make waves against cancer at this one-mile swim or float on the James River to raise money for cancer research at Massey. The event is open to all ages and abilities.
|
Massey on the River: Back in person at Historic Tredegar overlooking the James
Friday, Sept. 9
Massey on the River, hosted by the Massey Alliance, is back in person and at a new location this fall. Join us for Richmond, Virginia’s best end-of-summer party, with live music, great food and drink, and views of the James as you support innovative research and advances in cancer treatment and care.
|
|
|
Be Inspired
Meet the people who inspire us
|
|
Massey gives the gift of hope on Father’s Day
Father’s Day honors and celebrates the fathers and grandfathers in our lives and recognizes them for all the things they do for us every day. From sharing expertise or wisdom to just being there, fathers are one of the world’s greatest gifts. On Sunday, June 19, Massey introduced us to two dads whose lives have been forever changed by cancer. Massey Nation stepped up, donating to help advance cancer research to help make a future without cancer — and a future with more Father’s Days — possible.
|
|
|
Bobby Harger credits Massey and clinical trials with giving him more time with his grandkids
Father and grandfather Bobby Harger was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2016. Following a clinical trial at Massey, he had more time to spend with his family. “My intent was to stay alive and enjoy my grandkids. I intended on them being able to remember me. They’re just my life,” Harger said.
|
|
Larry Loving helps turn loss into hope in memory of two of his children
Larry Loving Sr. lost two children to brain cancer within three years of each other. To help give meaning to their loss, the Loving family made a gift to name a family lounge in Massey’s new Adult Outpatient Pavilion in downtown Richmond, Virginia. It was a way to honor and remember his children while helping bring hope and comfort to other families fighting cancer at Massey, the father of four said.
|
|
Surviving and thriving with cancer
|
|
Charmica Epps Harris: A colorectal cancer survivor ‘On the Rise’
Massey Cancer Center team member Charmica Epps Harris is a stage 3 colon cancer survivor and a patient of Dr. Hong who was recently honored as a member of the Colon Club’s “On the Rise” Class of 2023.
The Colon Club seeks to raise awareness, about the disease and educate and help individuals diagnosed with colorectal cancer, particularly those younger than 45. Epps Harris and her fellow nominees came together in Tennessee last month for an On the Rise 2023 photo shoot to share their stories, learn new skills and forge new connections.
“This is a club that none of us would have asked to be in, but … I think we can all say, we left this experience with our cups filled,” she said.
|
Massey’s Cancer Survivorship Program takes a holistic approach
National Cancer Survivor Day was June 5, but at Massey, every day is an opportunity to celebrate individuals living, and thriving, with cancer. An estimated 16.9 million people in the U.S. are now cancer survivors, and that number is expected to reach 22.2 million by 2030.
Massey’s Cancer Survivorship Program Director Susan Hong, M.D., M.P.H., FACP, believes cancer care should treat the whole patient and address all possible effects of treatment — including cardiac, fertility and emotional — to help patients after a cancer diagnosis.
|
|
|
At Massey, a future without cancer is how we will measure our success.
|
|
|
Make a gift or tribute in honor or memory of a loved one affected by cancer to support lifesaving cancer research at VCU Massey Cancer Center.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
