We all know our own Winship Cancer Institute is one of the most innovative and influential cancer centers in the country. Now the National Cancer Institute has confirmed it by renewing Winship’s designation as Georgia’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

NCI comprehensive designation is the highest federal rating a cancer center can achieve. It is the gold standard for cancer programs, first earned by Winship in 2009. The grant was renewed in 2012, and Winship achieved comprehensive status in 2017. The renewal of Winship’s NCI designation reaffirms that Winship is reducing the cancer burden on the state of Georgia through research conducted in its scientific laboratories, clinical trials, population-based research, education and training programs, and community outreach and engagement. For all Georgians, the Comprehensive Cancer Center designation recognizes that Winship researchers are studying the cancer issues unique to Georgia and that Winship is engaging the community in its research.

As Georgia’s only NCI-designated center, Winship is the state’s leading cancer resource, with a tripartite mission of research, education, and patient care and a commitment to preventing, detecting, and treating cancer statewide. Patients across the state and around the world can tap into Winship’s clinical trials for more treatment options and first-in-human studies. And Winship is reaching into the community to ensure historically underserved groups have that same opportunity. 

Congratulations to the entire Winship team on this highly prestigious achievement!

Kind regards,

Ravi

Ravi I. Thadhani, MD, MPH
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, Emory University
Executive Director, Woodruff Health Sciences Center
Vice Chair, Emory Healthcare Board of Directors

Please direct questions and comments to evphafeedback@emory.edu.

Emory Rehabilitation Hospital (ERH) has been ranked the number one rehab hospital in Georgia and number 26 in the nation—an impressive achievement, but not nearly as impressive as the people who make those prestigious rankings possible. I recently had the opportunity to meet three compassionate, dynamic nurses whose commitment to helping their patients regain their strength and independence following a life-changing illness or injury is truly inspirational.

Angella Dair, Ijeoma "Ije" Umunna, and Izoduwa “I.Z.” Asoro (pictured above l-r) radiate skill, warmth, compassion, and joy in helping others. Ijeoma sums up her team’s mission perfectly when she says, “As nurses, we have to use our acute care skills and our specialized rehabilitative approach for our medically complex patients to achieve the best outcomes and return them to their desired destination, which is home.”

These nurse leaders and their teams deliver on that mission every day. As I.Z. says, “Some patients come in non-verbal, some have slurred speech, and some are confused and disoriented to place, time, and situations, unable to sit up or walk. I enjoy taking care of these patients as their improvement is evident daily and the outcome on discharge is encouraging; many regain their speech, about 75 percent are able to walk with minimal assistance, and many regain their high-level functionality.”

ERH CEO Renee Hinson is understandably proud of the hospital’s top rankings, and she is even more proud of its extraordinary nursing team. “Nurses are the people who listen to the patient’s fears in the night,” says Hinson. “They celebrate the successes, hold their hands when it’s hard, and know when to let go—pushing each patient toward independence. Ije, I.Z., and Angella are amazing nurses. I watched Ije start an IV on a patient who had fearfully refused others. Her patience is legendary. I.Z. is calm and offers encouraging words in the most difficult circumstances. I was with her when a patient was confused and frustrated when putting on their clothes. I.Z. took the time to encourage the patient step-by-step to success. Angella is cheerful and kind to everyone. I have seen her comfort co-workers during stressful times and bring a smile out of a patient when no one else could.”

Thank you, Ije, I.Z., and Angella for helping us improve lives and provide hope!

To nominate a colleague to be featured in an upcoming segment of Our People, please email me at evphafeedback@emory.edu and let me know what makes them special.

Last month, the School of Medicine (SOM) celebrated its second annual Diversity and Inclusion Week, a school-wide celebration of the broad range of identities and experiences that make up the diverse community. With more than 700 participants, the week-long celebration embraced the theme of “Practices Not Promises: Moving Toward Action,” offering insightful sessions that aimed to empower individuals in effecting meaningful change within their respective spaces.

Recordings of each of these lectures, which include topics such as microaggressions and implicit bias, bystander to upstander training, anti-racism, and more are available online now. The school is proud to highlight that 56 percent of vendors used during Diversity and Inclusion Week represent diverse suppliers, further demonstrating a commitment to fostering an inclusive environment. 

Corrine Abraham, SON associate clinical professor, emeritus, has been inducted into the National Academies of Practice as a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow. Read more.

Leonardo Bonilha, director of Emory’s Epilepsy Center, was elected into the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

Donald Harvey, director of the Winship Phase I Clinical Trials Unit, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Katherine Hekman, assistant professor of surgery,  has been appointed to the editorial board of the Annals of Vascular Surgery. She also received the Association of VA Surgeons Faculty Research Award.

Hui Mao, professor, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, was elected a fellow of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Shawana Moore, associate clinical professor and Doctor of Nursing Practice program director, has been inducted into the National Academies of Practice as a Professional Member. Read more.

Lisa Newbern, Emory National Primate Research Center chief of public affairs, has been appointed chair of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities. 

Chrystal Paulos, director of the Winship Translational Research for Cutaneous Malignancies, was elected a director-at-large for the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

Steven Wolf, professor of rehabilitation medicine, has been honored with the 2023 John W. Goldschmidt Award and Lectureship from MedStar Health.

Larry Young, director of the Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, received the SOM Medicine Dean's Distinguished Faculty Lecture and Award for 2023.On May 25, Young gave his honorary lecture on "The Brain Science of Social Connections: Implications for Health and Society.”