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News Release

November 16, 2004

Contact: Maureen McGuire, 860-679-4523
e-mail: mmcguire@nso.uchc.edu

Dr. Carolyn Runowicz, Director of the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, Is Named President-Elect of the American Cancer Society

Farmington, Conn. – Carolyn D. Runowicz, M.D., director of the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center and a nationally prominent expert in gynecologic cancer, was recently named President-Elect of the American Cancer Society. She will become president of the national board in 2005.

“I’m very pleased to be able to expand my role as an officer and ambassador for the American Cancer Society,” Dr. Runowicz said. “As president-elect, I will continue to promote the cancer society’s mission to fight cancer through hope, progress and answers – all of which are consistent with the mission of the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center and consistent with our goals and vision.”

This is the third major appointment for Dr. Runowicz this year. In June, she was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board, and in February she was named a “Local Legend” by the American Medical Women’s Association.

Dr. Runowicz is a strong advocate for research to improve treatments, early detection and the prevention of cancer. This fall, Dr. Runowicz and her husband, Sheldon H. Cherry, M.D., authored a new book about advances in cancer prevention titled, The Answer to Cancer. The book provides valuable information to help men and women understand their personal risk profiles, and gives science-based examples of concrete steps people can take to reduce their risk.

“It’s an honor for me to be part of the national cancer leadership during such an exciting time in cancer research,” Dr. Runowicz said. “New targeted therapies are available for patients with cancer. Clinical trials have also shown that we now have drugs that actually prevent cancer. We are standing at the cusp of a new era in cancer care.”

“Such a prestigious honor clearly recognizes the many important contributions Dr. Runowicz has made for several years at the national level in the battle against cancer,” said Peter J. Deckers, M.D., executive vice president for health affairs at the UConn Health Center. “We are very proud that her skills, intelligence and experience are now helping to strengthen our cancer program.”

In addition to her work with the American Cancer Society, Dr. Runowicz was the first woman president of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists. She currently serves on the National Cancer Institute’s Scientific Review Group and is also involved with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Runowicz has been chair of the Gynecologic Committee of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project, a leading national organization in large-scale cancer research since 1994.

Dr. Runowicz has been involved with research studies on ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, epithelial cancer and more. She has written more than 100 contributions to medical literature, including scientific abstracts and textbook chapters. She is widely published in scholarly journals including the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Cancer.

Along with The Answer to Cancer, Dr. Runowicz has also written To Be Alive: A Woman’s Guide to a Full Life After Cancer; The Menopause Book: A Guide to Women’s Health After 40, which was also co-authored with Dr. Cherry; and Women and Cancer: A Thorough and Compassionate Resource for Patients and Their Families.

In addition to her role as director of the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Runowicz is also a professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology with the UConn School of Medicine and director of women’s health at UConn Health Center.

The Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center provides a full spectrum of cancer services, from education and prevention strategies to early detection services, innovative, state-of-the-art treatments, reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation and support services. In addition, patients at the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center can participate in a range of clinical trials and research studies. Services are provided in a convenient location at the UConn Health Center campus in Farmington. For more information, visit http://cancer.uchc.edu.

The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, the ACS has 14 regional divisions and local officers in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the U.S. For more information anytime, call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

UConn Health includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital. Home to Bioscience Connecticut, UConn Health pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. More information about UConn Health is available at www.uchc.edu.

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