September 2, 2003


Symposium to feature international, Emory research

By
Stephanie Sonnenfeld

September is a big month for the Winship Cancer Institute (WCI).

In addition to hosting a patient and family open house on Sunday, Sept. 20, WCI will dedicate its new $75 million, 280,000 square foot building on Sept. 24 and host its first cancer research symposium on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

“Conquering Cancer in the 21st Century” is an international scientific symposium that aims to highlight advances in cancer research made at Emory and WCI. In turn, the conference will tie that work to international cancer research, said symposium director Paul Doetsch, professor of biochemistry and radiation oncology, and interim director for basic sciences at WCI.

“I think we’ll go a long way in helping the Emory and surrounding communities understand what the WCI’s missions are [with the symposium],” he said.

The institute plans to hold the symposium annually with a specific theme each year. However, the first event will be multithemed, addressing the four tenets of the WCI mission: molecular discovery, population sciences, clinical research and community outreach.

The event will be held in the Cox Hall ballroom from 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m., with opening, afternoon and closing addresses from three of the most well-known oncology scholars. The four primary sessions will feature keynote presentations from invited speakers—including Leroy Hood, president of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle—and remarks from Emory researchers working in each particular area of discussion.

The schedule and speakers are:

Opening address (9 a.m.): Anna Barker, deputy director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Washington.

Molecular Discovery (10 a.m.): Leroy Hood, president of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle; and Leland Chung, professor of urology.

• Population Sciences (11:15 a.m.): Sandra Millon-Underwood, professor of nursing at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and Otis Brawley, professor of hematology and oncology and WCI associate director of cancer control.

Afternoon address (1:15 p.m.): Peter Boyle, director-elect of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a division of the World Health Organization.

Clinical Research (1:45 p.m.): Merrill Kies, medical oncology professor at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; and Fadlo Khuri, professor of hematology and oncology and WCI associate director of clinical and translational research.

• Community Outreach (3:15 p.m.): Russ Toal, president of the Georgia Cancer Coalition; and Jerome Yates, national vice president for research, American Cancer Society.

• Closing remarks (4:30 p.m.): Donald Coffey, professor of urology and director of the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore.

Prior to the symposium, participants are invited to a reception and poster session on Monday, Sept. 22, in the fifth floor Conference Center of the new WCI building, located at 1701 Uppergate Drive behind Emory Clinic Building A. The poster session, which begins at 6 p.m., will feature research by WCI scientists and Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholars, while the reception will offer a tour of the new building.

The conference is free and includes breakfast, a boxed lunch and admission to the Monday night reception and poster session. Continuing Medical Education (CME) and nursing contact hours have been approved for this event.

For more information and registration information, call 1-888-WINSHIP or the Emory Office of CME at 404-727-5695 or e-mail cme@emory.edu.