The Frances Williams Preston Building was officially named in June. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Cancer Center celebrates tremendous year
U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, left, Dr. Hal Moses and Cancer Center Board of Overseers member Tony Scoville enjoy the press conference announcing the NCI ranking. (photo by Dana Johnson)
The past year saw a number of major developments for the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
•In March with the announcement of its designation by the National Cancer Institute as the only Comprehensive Cancer Center in Tennessee and one of only 40 (now 41) in the country. This designation recognizes excellence in basic, translational and clinical research as well as a commitment to the community through education, information and outreach. The NCI-designated cancer centers are those at which the NCI anticipates that the cures for cancers will be developed. Dr. Harry Jacobson, Mayor Bill Purcell, Dr. Harold Moses, and Orrin Ingram were on hand for the announcement by Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.).
•Also last spring, a team of Vanderbilt-Ingram investigators was awarded a Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in Lung Cancer from the NCI. The coveted grant, which will provide about $13 million over five years, is one of only six SPOREs in Lung Cancer in the country and the only one in the Southeast. SPOREs are awarded to leading centers that exhibit excellence in research, and specifically research with clear potential to impact patient care, in a particular type of lung cancer. Vanderbilt-Ingram researchers have also recently applied for a SPORE in gastrointestinal cancer and are planning an application for a SPORE in breast cancer.
•In April, the National Cancer Institute awarded $7.5 million to support expansion of an innovative partnership between Meharry Medical College and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
The partnership is designed to combine the strengths of the historically black academic health center and the NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, located only two miles apart. The ultimate goal: close the gap between blacks and whites in cancer incidence and deaths.
•In June, entertainers Amy Grant and Gary Chapman emceed a ceremony hosted by Jacobson to dedicate the newly expanded Frances Williams Preston Building, formerly known as Medical Research Building II. The building honors Preston, the CEO and President of the music rights organization BMI, for her many contributions to cancer research and Vanderbilt-Ingram. The naming also honored the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research for a $10 million contribution, augmented by a $6 million anonymous contribution, to fund additional innovative research. Martell has supported the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at Vanderbilt-Ingram since 1993. The 54,000-square-foot expansion to the Preston Building has provided Vanderbilt-Ingram with a marquee entrance for its research and clinical activities, consolidated its leadership and made way for ongoing expansion of research and clinical space.
•This fall, a team of investigators from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Meharry Medical College and International Epidemiology Institute were awarded a $22 million, five-year grant to conduct a historic epidemiological study of lifestyle, environmental and genetic factors that contribute to cancer risk. The Southern Community Cohort Study will enroll 105,000 people (two-thirds of them African American) in six southeastern states. The ultimate goal is to understand and address the disparities between blacks and whites in cancer incidence and deaths. Enrollment will begin this spring.