Association of American Cancer Institutes Elects Caligiuri
Posted 10/22/2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Dr. Michael A. Caligiuri, (43220), who leads The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James), is now president of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI).
Previously, Caligiuri served a two-year term as vice president and president-elect for the AACI, which is comprised of 95 leading cancer research centers in the United States. He assumed his new two-year term during the association’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.
The association is dedicated to promoting the nation’s leading research institutions’ efforts to eradicate cancer through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary program of cancer research, treatment, patient care, prevention, education and community outreach. For 50 years, the association has provided a unified voice for cancer center directors to educate policy leaders and the public about the importance of cancer centers and their role in reducing the burden of cancer in their communities.
“I look forward to serving as one of the principle ambassadors for the cancer research community,” says Caligiuri, who is a prominent figure in the fields of immunology, leukemia and lymphoma research. “One of my main initiatives is an advocacy platform called Project Cancer Education that aims to educate legislative and opinion leaders on important matters regarding cancer care, including the need for additional funding for cancer research and access to cancer clinical trials.”
Project Cancer Education, developed at OSUCCC-James, provides opportunities for policymakers to learn more about the complexities of cancer care while experiencing firsthand life as a cancer patient or caregiver. During the two-hour curriculum, participants gain a greater understanding of translational research and the relationship between research and patient care.
Caligiuri will advance this program during his presidency by providing cancer centers nationwide the blueprint to conduct similar sessions with policymakers to help them make important healthcare decisions.
Caligiuri’s election to AACI’s highest leadership position can be attributed in part to Ohio State’s rise to national prominence in cancer research and care. In his 11 years here, Caligiuri, who is director of Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and CEO of the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, has played a critical role in the dramatic advancement of the university’s cancer programs. In its most recent review by the NCI, the cancer center received the highest possible score and a $19.2 million grant renewal.
Caligiuri received both graduate and medical degrees at Stanford University School of Medicine. He trained in internal medicine, oncology, bone marrow transplantation and immunology at Harvard before joining the Harvard Medical School faculty. In 1997, Caligiuri left his position as a tenured professor at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., to join Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center as associate director for clinical research.
He holds the John L. Marakas Nationwide Insurance Enterprise Foundation Chair in Cancer Research. Caligiuri is a professor in the department of internal medicine and a cancer genetics scholar in the department of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics.
Caligiuri, who has more than 40 members in his laboratory, focuses on the molecular biology of leukemia, vaccine development to prevent lymphoma and natural killer cell biology. He has authored more than 200 original scientific publications and is on numerous national committees, including the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors. He is chair of the American Association for Cancer Research publications committee, an associate editor of the journal Blood and a member of the editorial board of Blood Reviews.
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center- Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute is one of only 40 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States designated by the National Cancer Institute. Ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top 20 cancer hospitals in the nation, The James (www.jamesline.com) is the 180-bed adult patient-care component of the cancer program at The Ohio State University. The OSUCCC-James is one of only five centers in the country approved by the NCI to conduct both Phase I and Phase II clinical trials.
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Contact:
Eileen Scahill
Medical Center Communications
614-293-3737
Eileen.Scahill@osucmc.edu