Honors & Accomplishments

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researchers, doctors, and staff are routinely recognized by local and national organizations for their innovative research efforts, dedication to outstanding patient care, and leadership in the fight against cancer.

Hollings NCORP-MU honored for enrollment achievements

 

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center's NCORP-MU was awarded a Gold Certificate of Excellence at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) annual meeting in August 2023 because of success in enrolling patients in NCI treatment, cancer control, prevention and screening clinical trials. 

DuBois elected to AACI board

 

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center director Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., was elected to the board of the American Association of Cancer Institutes (AACI). AACI’s mission is to accelerate progress against cancer by enhancing the impact of North America’s leading academic cancer centers and promoting cancer health equity. Dr. DuBois' term begins in October 2023 at the AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

 

DuBois inducted into Royal College of Physicians

 

Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., director of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, has been inducted as a fellow into the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).

DuBois traveled to London, England, for the ceremony in July. He had been elected to the prestigious body prior to the COVID pandemic, which delayed the induction ceremony.

The Royal College of Physicians was established in 1518 by a royal charter from King Henry VIII. The college's founding aim was to professionalize physicians through an academic body that required a degree and an exam before entry. Today, the RCP seeks to "drive improvements in health and healthcare through advocacy, education and research." Fellows are senior clinicians who have demonstrated achievement and impact on the field of medicine.

DuBois said he was incredibly honored to be named a fellow. He was impressed, during the ceremony, by the breadth of physicians, from every discipline of clinical care, research and education and from across the world, who were being inducted alongside him.

“Medicine is a remarkably unifying discipline,” he said. “Across the globe, people are working together to figure out complex medical problems and share their knowledge and discoveries. They all want to improve the health of their populations and of patients everywhere. Sharing knowledge and expertise is the most energizing aspect of these gatherings.”

He noted that the dinner after the RCP induction ceremony was a bit of a full-circle moment for him.

“The dinner was held in the Osler Room, which has meaning to me since I was an Osler Resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital back in the 1990s,” he explained.

Originally from Canada, William Osler, M.D., is considered the “father of modern medicine." He developed a medical training program at Hopkins that would be familiar to any medical student today and was also named a fellow of the RCP.

DuBois was named the director of Hollings in 2020, after serving as dean of the MUSC College of Medicine since 2016. His research focus is colon cancer, and his lab is studying how dietary fat affects the development of colon cancer.

In addition to his work at Hollings, DuBois serves as the vice chair of the scientific advisory committee for Stand Up 2 Cancer and the executive chairman of the board for The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research.

In 2019, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, and in 2022, the American Association for Cancer Research honored him with its Distinguished Service Award.

 

Ford selected for Biobank panel

 

Marvella Ford, Ph.D., will join the External Scientific Panel for the Cancer Moonshot Biobank. The biobank is a voluntary program in which people undergoing cancer treatment donate blood or tissue samples for up to five years to enable researchers to see how cancers behave over time, with a special focus on colon cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, gastroesophageal cancer, multiple myeloma and acute myeloid leukemia. The External Scientific Panel includes experts in oncology, nursing, patient advocacy, communications, and more, who provide input on study objectives, protocol, and engagement of research participants and their providers.

 

Shungu honored with best paper by STFM

 

Nicholas Shungu, M.D., was honored at the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine annual spring conference in April with the 2023 STFM CERA Paper of the Year Award for his paper, “Physician attitudes and self-reported practices toward prostate cancer screening in Black and White men." Shungu sought to quantify whether academic family medicine physicians have informed decision-making conversations with Black men about their increased risk of prostate cancer, compared to White men, and which physicians are most likely to have those conversations. He found that "younger physicians, women physicians, and physicians who see fewer Black patients are more likely to have suboptimal approaches to prostate cancer screening in Black men."

 

Ford to join cancer stage shift initiative scientific advisory board

 

Marvella Ford, Ph.D., was invited to join the National Minority Quality Forum's Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative's Scientific Advisory Board. The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to ensuring high-risk racial and ethnic populations and communities receive optimal health care. Inspired by the bold goals of the new Cancer Moonshot, NMQF launched the CSSI with the mission to move us from late-stage to early-stage diagnosis and treatment of cancer in minority populations. While the initiative will have a clear focus on equity, the expectation is that it will improve cancer care for all.

 

Engevik, Dahne selected for NAM Emerging Leaders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hollings researchers Mindy Engevik, Ph.D., and Jennifer Dahne, Ph.D., have been selected for the National Academy of Medicine's Emerging Leaders Forum. The Forum is an "annual assembly of outstanding early- and mid-career professionals with exceptional professional promise, achievement and leadership in biomedical science, health, health care and related fields."

Hill named JCO associate editor

 

 Elizabeth Hill, Ph.D., Hollings Biostatistics Shared Resource Director, has been named associate editor for the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO). JCO, the flagship publication of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), is the leading journal for dissemination of high-impact clinical oncology research (impact factor 50.7). In her role as associate editor, Hill will work with the JCO editorial board and ASCO leadership to review submissions, assign manuscripts for review, and direct the editorial mission of the journal.

Toll elected as SRNT president-elect

 

Benjamin Toll, Ph.D., was elected by his peers to serve a three-year term on the board of directors of the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco, beginning as president-elect and moving on to president and past president. In this role, he will work with policymakers and legislators on tobacco control issues. SRNT is the professional association of researchers, academics, treatment professionals, government officials and others working in the field of nicotine and tobacco research, and encompasses chapters in the U.S., Europe and Oceania. Its mission is to "stimulate the generation and dissemination of new knowledge concerning nicotine in all its manifestations."

 

Ford to present during NIMHD workshop

 

Marvella Ford, Ph.D., will speak on the topic of engaging with the local community and developing relationships with community-based organizations and other community members during a National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities-led workshop, "Inclusive Participation in Clinical Research," in March 2023. The purpose of this workshop is to improve implementation of evidence-based best practices that increase inclusive participation in clinical research. Through a series of talks and panel discussions, this workshop will discuss specific evidence-based best practices, how to implement these practices, challenges to overcome, and lessons learned.

Curran, George to moderate ACS panel 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas Curran, M.D., and Virgilio George, M.D., have been invited by the American College of Surgeons Advisory Council for Colon and Rectal Surgery to chair and co-chair, respectively, a panel session at the ACS Clinical Congress 2023 to be held Oct. 22-26, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. This presentation intends to examine the evidence for extended venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in postoperative cancer patients, current guidelines, and guideline adherence. Future directions to improve guideline concordant care will be explored.

 

Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco honors Hollings researcher

 

The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco has named Michael Cummings, Ph.D., as the recipient of the 2023 Doll-Wynder award. This award honors scientists who have made groundbreaking advances in public health, public policy or epidemiological research. It will be presented during SRNT's 2023 Annual Meeting in San Antonio.

 

 

Hollings NCORP recognized for specimen diversification efforts

The MUSC National Cancer Institute Minority/Underserved Community Oncology Research Program was recognized with a Certificate of Excellence from the NCI Community Oncology Research Program for its efforts to collect specimens to advance the scientific understanding of the reasons behind early onset malignancies in racial and ethnic minorities. The National Cancer Institute initiative, “Early Onset Malignancies Initiative (EOMI): Molecular profiling of Breast, Colon, Kidney, Liver, Multiple Myeloma, and Prostate among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Populations,” seeks to generate datasets to catalog the alterations seen in human tumors.

Carroll named to NRG committee

 

Steven Carroll, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed to serve a six-year term on the Pathology Committee of NRG Oncology. NRG Oncology conducts multi-institutional clinical and translational research focused on gender-specific cancers and locally advanced malignancies of all types.

“I’m very pleased that I have the opportunity to serve as a member of this committee. NRG Oncology is an important consortium and having a seat at the table with them raises the national visibility of Hollings Cancer Center," Carroll said. 

Ford serves as session chair during AACR conference

 

Marvella E. Ford, Ph.D., associate director, Population Science and Cancer Disparities, was honored to serve as session chair during the 15th AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved for the “Clinical Cancer Research and Diversity” panel. As session chair, she facilitated a discussion about how underrepresentation of ethnically diverse populations in cancer clinical trials results in the inequitable distribution of the risks and benefits of this research with the following leaders: Dr. Jane Figueiredo, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Los Angeles; Dr. Fatima Karzai, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland; and Dr. David P. Turner, Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.

Chera named a fellow of the American Society for Radiation Oncology

 

The world’s largest society for radiation oncology professionals recently voted to confer upon Bhisham Chera, M.D., the designation of American Society for Radiation Oncology Fellow (FASTRO). Chera will receive his FASTRO designation at an awards ceremony in San Antonio in October, during ASTRO’s 64th Annual Meeting.

“Dr. Chera, a physician at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, joins an elite group of just 27 physicians and medical physicists who are recognized this year for their far-reaching contributions to the field of radiation oncology and their progress in advancing cancer research, education and patient care,” said Laura A. Dawson, M.D., FASTRO, Chair of the ASTRO Board of Directors. “Congratulations to Dr. Chera for achieving the designation of ASTRO Fellow.”

Chera is a board-certified radiation oncologist, vice chairman for Safety and Quality Assurance in the Department of Radiation Oncology, and the Wendy & Keith Wellin Endowed Chair in Radiation Oncology. His primary clinical emphasis is in the treatment of head and neck and skin cancers. Chera's academic interests are in head and neck oncology and health care quality and safety improvement. He is nationally and internationally known for his pioneering work in evaluating reduced intensity radiation and chemotherapy treatments for patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) associated with throat cancers. He has also co-invented a blood-based biomarker for HPV-associated cancers.

Awarded annually since 2006, the ASTRO Fellows program recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to radiation oncology through research, education, patient care and/or service to the field. Since its inception, the FASTRO designation has been awarded to just 421 of ASTRO’s 10,000 members worldwide.

Radiation Oncology team earns reaccreditation

The MUSC Health Radiation Oncology team has earned full three-year reaccreditation from the American College of Radiology.

By seeking accreditation, Hollings Cancer Center voluntarily undergoes a meticulous third-party review of its staff, equipment, treatment planning and quality control processes — all to ensure the best possible patient care.

Members of the Hollings radiation oncology team, which includes doctors, nurses, medical physicists, radiation therapists and administrators, saw the reaccreditation site review as an opportunity to showcase their data-driven quality assurance program, through which the team constantly analyzes patient outcomes to derive the best result for each individual.

DuBois receives AACR award

Hollings Cancer Center director Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., received the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Distinguished Service Award during the association’s 2022 convention. The award recognizes people whose extraordinary work has exemplified the AACR’s mission to prevent and cure all cancers through research, education, communication, collaboration, science policy, advocacy and funding for cancer research.

Celebrating its 115th anniversary this year, the AACR was founded in 1907, when a cancer diagnosis was essentially a death sentence. DuBois said the AACR has been invaluable in a sea change that has happened in how cancer is perceived and treated and that he has been privileged to contribute to the demystification of what now is seen as a complex collection of diseases.