Making Cancer History through Targeting and Partnering

 

Dr. John Mendelsohn and Lorena Collier visit with patient Florence Aumont of Coconut Creek, Florida, in the Nellie B. Connally Breast Center.

 

 

During fiscal year 1996-97, Dr. John Mendelsohn celebrated his first anniversary as M. D. Anderson's third president.

 

Not wasting a moment, Dr. Mendelsohn set in motion several initiatives to further position the institution as one of the most comprehensive and respected cancer centers in the world - and to make cancer history.

 

After extensive meetings with and valuable input from faculty and staff, as well as community leaders, Dr. Mendelsohn introduced five key institutional priorities:

 

·Maintain and improve the quality of patient care.

 

· Develop a business and financial plan to maintain the competitive position of M. D. Anderson for cancer management.

 

· Give greater responsibility and accountability to the faculty and staff for providing care, allocating resources and designing programs.

 

· Ensure the continued growth of the institution's basic, translational and clinical research.

 

· Implement information systems that support M. D. Anderson's mission.

 

These priorities will help M. D. Anderson prosper in an ever-changing health care environment and achieve its mission of eradicating cancer, Dr. Mendelsohn says.

 

The way to accomplish these goals, he adds, is through targeting and partnering. According to Dr. Mendelsohn, targeting refers to using knowledge about cancer to develop novel diagnostic tests and innovative therapies. Such efforts include:

 

· New drugs that activate "cell death" pathways in tumor cells.

 

· Gene therapy, whereby "healthy" or "corrective" genes are inserted to stop tumor progression.

 

· Precisely guided radiation therapy, to improve delivery of the needed dosage to the tumor while protecting normal tissue.

 

· Diagnostic radiological procedures, allowing for the early detection of very small tumors and appropriate interventions.

 

· Prevention through genetic testing that can identify people at risk for developing specific cancers.

 

Partnering, on the other hand, involves collaboration among institutional and community allies who work together as teams to deliver quality, researched-based care.

 

It means partnering with:

 

· Physicians, scientists, nurses, support staff and administrators to enhance teamwork within M. D. Anderson.

 

· Health care providers at other sites in Houston and beyond to provide M. D. Anderson's standard of care to more individuals with cancer through the use of collaborative care pathways and practice guidelines.

 

· Clinical and laboratory investigators, to more rapidly develop methods for bringing new therapies to the bedside.

 

Over the past year, "much progress has been made in achieving our major goals," Dr. Mendelsohn says. "This year's annual report speaks of the many efforts being made by our faculty and staff to strengthen our ability to deliver exceptional patient care, conduct critical cancer research, offer outstanding education programs for professionals as well as the public and patients, and provide prevention-based services. It also demonstrates our commitment to partnering with community health care leaders as well as our donors."  With a new set of priorities in place and a renewed commitment to caring, "the future of M. D. Anderson looks bright," Dr. Mendelsohn says. "We have all the ingredients we need to succeed."

 

The first, he says, is "our people. We have wonderful faculty, staff and volunteers, who individually and collectively embrace an unwavering dedication and compassion to every patient that is unmistakable."

 

"We also have outstanding leaders in place, all of whom will help guide M. D. Anderson into the next century. Leadership is key to running a medical center effectively and forming a sound business and financial plan, and we have that in the many fine people who work here."

 

The appointments of Kevin S. Wardell as executive vice president and chief operating officer and Leon J. Leach as chief financial officer in late summer established Dr. Mendelsohn's four-member executive team, which also includes the president and Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, appointed January 1998.

 

"Mr. Wardell and Mr. Leach bring outstanding business experience and management skills to the institution, complementing our unparalleled expertise in cancer patient care, research, education and prevention," Dr. Mendelsohn says.

 

In addition to the people who make this institution great, "we have our research enterprise that is thriving, growing and contributing to the development of new and improved therapies. What is standard therapy today was researched here more than a decade ago. And what will become standard therapy in the future is being investigated here today."

 

Further, "we have tremendous community and state support and have the financial resources necessary to operate our cancer center efficiently. We need dollars to support our academic and research activities, and the hospital and clinics have shown a strong positive margin that will help us meet our obligations for financing research programs, new buildings, improved information systems and other priority programs."

 

Dr. Mendelsohn also points to private philanthropy as an important ingredient for future success as the institution seeks to raise $35 million in private dollars in the new year and even more in the years to come.

 

"The work done here each day has an impact on the lives of countless people," Dr. Mendelsohn says. "We are challenged to make the best use of new and existing resources, through targeted research efforts and carefully established partnerships, so that we may continue in our conquest of cancer."

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