newsletter-issue

Over the past several months, I have been heartened—at times overjoyed—to receive letters, emails, and calls from patients and family members who have been overwhelmed by the kindness and competence of our Smilow/Yale physicians, nurses, and all of the members of the health care team. The schedulers, patient care assistants and others who work behind the scenes are very much part of the network of care. At the same time, I have been struck by the volume and quality of the research that we produce. This was clearly apparent at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting just 10 days ago, where there were over 50 presentations from Yale researchers. I believe we are truly making a difference.

This is not the time to rest on our laurels. If we are going to take our outstanding center and make it even better, there is still much work to be done. We have to strive for the very best, and we can settle for no less. We have had a hard few years since the beginning of the pandemic, but as we put that behind us, we can expect to take major steps forward. In the months ahead, you will be hearing about initiatives that will allow us to continue to improve.

But no matter how strong our strategy is, and no matter how much we want to take even better care of our patients and their families, we must remember that it all starts with taking care of one another. Our culture, which my colleague Faye Rogers often refers to as “inclusive excellence,” is critical to our success. However, like starter for yogurt or sourdough bread, we have to continue to replenish and feed that culture. As we embark on summer, a time that is always a little more relaxed, let’s remember to focus on one another, on strengthening our Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Hospital family, and on taking pleasure in the small daily gestures that make someone else a little stronger or a little happier. If we continue to solidify our culture, the strategies for improvement in the months ahead will come more easily.

Enjoy the month of June. Celebrate our upcoming national holiday, Juneteenth. And enjoy the warmth of the summer sun (with appropriate sun screen!).

Eric P. Winer, MD
Director, Yale Cancer Center
President & Physician in Chief, Smilow Cancer Hospital

Chicago hosted more than 40,000 oncologists, physician-scientists, cancer researchers, and others at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology that wrapped up last week. Among them were dozens from Yale and Smilow at ASCO podiums, presenting posters and hosting sessions, totaling 55 presentations in all.

A quick Google search on “ASCO 2024” results in pages upon pages of headlines about breakthroughs, cross-disciplinary collaborations, new treatments and more – many featuring mentions of experts from New Haven.

In addition to the big news and the large sessions, there are hundreds of personal moments throughout the annual meeting and Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center had their share.

Annual ASCO Merit Awards recognize oncology trainees and students whose research was addressed in high-quality abstracts submitted to the ASCO Annual Meeting and recognized for their scientific merit. Four trainees and students were recognized including: Talal El Zarif, MD, Internal Medicine Resident; Ritujith Jayakrishnan, MD, Internal Medicine Resident; Soki Kashima, MD, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, David Braun Lab; Alejandro Rios-Hoyo, MD, Associate Research Scientist

And in case you missed it, Clinical Fellow Thejal Srikumar, MD was one of 12 participants selected for the ASCO Education Scholars Program, a competitive yearlong professional development program for oncology medical educators. Also, three fellows in the Hem/Onc fellowship program received ASCO Young Investigator Awards: Rebecca Forman, MD; Yiduo Hu, MD, PhD; Tendai Kwaramba, MD, MSc as did Drs. Zarif, Rios-Hoyo, and Jayakrishnan,

Oral presenters/Discussants/Chairs, in addition to those pictured left, included Drs. Jayakrishnan and Kashima, Ian Krop, Pamela Kunz, Sara Pai. Also, Education Session/Clinical Science Symposium/Case Panel Presenters, in addition to those pictured at left, were Anne Chiang MD, PhD, Jennifer Kapo, MD and Osama Abdelghany Pharm D, MHA, BCOP.

For other highlights — and there are many — visit the YCC news page and social media accounts.

The Yale Cancer Center Goes to Washington

Yale Cancer Center members and staff joined Hill Day, hosted by the American Association for Cancer Research and the Association of American Cancer Institutes to bring cancer center directors, researchers, physician-scientists, cancer survivors, and other advocates together to build support for a strong federal investment in biomedical research—and cancer research in particular—through the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.

Along with team members from The Jackson Laboratory, YCC met with the two U.S. senators from Connecticut, Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, as well as Maine's U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King. They also visited the offices of two of Connecticut's five House of Representative members, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (3rd District), at left, and Rep. Jahana Hayes (5th District) to share the importance and impact of federal funding for cancer initiatives

National Institutes of Health R01 Grant Application Funded

Mandar Deepak Muzumdar, MD, Associate Professor of Genetics and of Internal Medicine (Oncology) at YSM and Co-Director of the Smilow/YCC Pancreas Program at the Center for Gastronintestinal Cancers, and Siyuan (Steven) Wang, PhD, were awarded an R01 grant entitled “3D genome reorganization drives cancer development.” Other YCC-affiliated researchers on the grant include Katerina Politi, PhD, Bluma Lesch, MD, PhD, and Robert Homer, MD, PhD, and collaborators Marie Robert, MD and Nadya Dimitrova, PhD.

Join in Welcoming Two New Colleagues

Welcome to Siba Haykal, MD, PhD and Sylvia Christine Kurz, MD, PhD.
Dr. Haykal, who is Section Chief of Reconstructive Oncology for the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery within the Department of Surgery, cares for patients at Smilow Cancer Hospital as she described on a recent video. Dr. Haykal specializes in microsurgical reconstruction and has research interests in breast reconstructive surgery and vascularized composite allotransplantation. She received her medical degree from the University of Ottawa and her residency training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Kurz, who is an Associate Professor of Neurology, Neuro-Oncology for the Yale School of Medicine, previously was a neuro-oncologist at the Brain and Spine Tumor Center at the NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center. There, she treated people with brain tumors and cancer and immunotherapy-related side effects or pain resulting from cancer treatment–related nerve damage. She also conducted translational and clinical research on brain tumors and was a co-investigator on various clinical trials, including several immunotherapy trials.

This is the first article in a new feature, TeamWork, about the partnerships that foster excellent patient care and a collegial workplace.

Endocrine Surgery, Smilow 4
The Team: Courtney Gibson, MD, MS, FACS (right) • Katherine Hawthorne, RN, BSN (left)

When Courtney and Katie met nearly a decade ago, one was a young attending and the other was new to oncology care (but not nursing) and was pregnant with her second child.

In a way, their “newness” nurtured what became a strong partnership, or dyad, that has lasted nearly a decade. Dr. Gibson remembers the early days as a process of learning each other’s style and growing their practice together. “I didn’t have a clear idea [as a new attending] of how to run my clinical practice, and was just developing my own style for managing the various disease processes of my patients,” said Dr. Gibson, an endocrine surgeon and Associate Professor of Surgery at YSM.

Katie remembers the early days similarly. “When Dr. Gibson and I first met, I was new to our health system and eager to help grow the practice. I came with years of outpatient clinic experience albeit not in oncology. My eagerness to learn about endocrine diseases and support Dr. Gibson grow her clinical practice helped us bond,” said Katie, who has been a nurse for 20 years and at Smilow for nine.

“Dr. Gibson and I share the same passion for helping our patients through their journey and it is reflected in the care that she provides as their surgeon and me as their nurse,” Katie said. “There really is an almost tangibility to our understanding of one another and the common goal that our patients come first.”

It’s apparent to their colleagues (who nominated them for this feature) as well as their patients.

”I can’t count the number of times that patients have said they can tell we’ve worked together for a long time, or stated ‘how smoothly’ their process went because of our excellent communication with them and with each other,” Dr. Gibson said.

They agree on the importance of putting themselves in their patient’s place. Dr. Gibson, who had cancer many years ago, said she’s particularly sensitive to the effects of a cancer diagnosis – fear, trepidation, and uncertainty. Remembering the effect on herself and her family helps her to “avoid minimizing the profound impact a cancer diagnosis has on patients.”

Also conscious of making a patient comfortable, Katie says she always ties “to treat our patients how I would want my family members to be cared for, a little kindness and compassion goes a long way. I try to find something to discuss with the patient and their family to make them more comfortable…People often soften, open and allow you in when you show an interest in them as a person and not their disease.”

Jennifer Afranie-Sakyi, MD, has been selected by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) to participate as one of nine outstanding fellows in the 2024 ASH Minority Hematology Fellow Award (MHFA). A fellow in the Yale Medical Oncology-Hematology Fellowship Program, Dr. Afranie-Sakyi is mentored by Cece Calhoun, MD, MPHS, MBA,, and Alfred Lee, MD, PhD. Her research focuses on understanding neurocognitive outcomes in adults with sickle cell disease. The ASH awardees receive $100,000 for a two- to three-year period to guarantee protected time for clinical or laboratory-based hematology research projects.

Amos S. Espinosa, a PhD Candidate in Experimental Pathology, was recently named a winner of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Minority Hematology Graduate Award. Espinosa is a member of the Krause Lab, led by Diane Krause, MD, PhD, Anthony N. Brady Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Professor of Pathology. His doctoral research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of cancer development, specifically, acute megakaryoblastic leukemia. Amos is one of nine graduate students selected for the award, which includes an annual $40,000 stipend for a two-year period.

Kelly Olino, MD, assistant professor of surgery (oncology) at the Yale Department of Surgery and clinical director of the Smilow Melanoma Program, received the 2024 Leah M. Lowenstein Award for excellence in the promotion of humane and egalitarian medical education. The honor is awarded each year at the Yale School of Medicine’s commencement ceremony in recognition of a faculty member whose humane teaching reaches and influences all students regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic background.

In May 15, at the opening ceremony for the annual American Head and Neck Society Meeting, Barbara Burtness, MD, Anthony N. Brady Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), was awarded an American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Presidential Citation in recognition of her contributions to the field of head and neck surgery. Dr. Burtness is the founding director of the Yale Head and Neck Cancer Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) .

A former director of YCC (1993-2003), Vincent DeVita Jr., MD, Amy and Joseph Perella Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases), was named the Giants of Cancer Care® Michael J. Hennessy Visionary Award Winner for 2024. He was honored for his lifelong achievements in cancer care, which included being director of the NCI starting in 1980, one of three editors of "Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology," in its 11th edition, and of The Cancer Journal.

Skin cancer risks, immunotherapy’s power and its limitations, vaccines to protect against cancer, early onset cancers, the cancer fighting qualities of vegetables, and new gene therapies for treating sickle cell disease are among the topics on which Smilow and YCC colleagues shared their expertise in news reports this past month.

May was Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and James Clune MD, melanoma surgeon at Smilow Cancer Hospital and a YCC member, took to the airwaves twice. He was a guest on the WICC Melissa in the Morning Show to discuss how best to avoid skin cancer and as well as the public radio show Yale Cancer Answers. Also, Kelly Olino, MD, FACS, the clinical director of the Smilow Melanoma Program told Parents magazine how tan skin is damaged skin in the article “What Gen Z Gets Wrong About Tanning and Sun Safety.” Jonathan Leventhal, MD, the director of the Onco-Dermatology program at Smilow, told WTNH News 8 at Noon how to identify skin cancers.

The American Cancer Society is initiating a 30-year study to investigate racial disparities in cancer care and Dr. Eric Winer, MD, director of the YCC and president/PIC of Smilow Cancer Hospital, was interviewed by WWLP TV in Springfield, Mass on the topic. Also, Dr. Winer discussed access to care, healthcare disparities and the YCC initiative to address both on WICC 600 AM radio in Bridgeport.

David A. Braun, MD, PhD, assistant professor, medicine (medical oncology), had a busy interview month, appearing on OncLive on how the emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors in treatment of renal cell carcinoma has redefined the standard of care and on the Target Cancer podcast hosted by "TheOncDoc" Sanjay Juneja on the advances in vaccines and immunotherapy treatments.

Two online outlets with large audiences — The Skimm newsletter with 12 million subscribers and Parade magazine online with about 35 million visits per month — interviewed Veda Giri, MD and Donald Barry Boyd, MD, respectively. Dr. Giri spoke about early onset cancers for the May 24 Skimm report and Dr. Boyd explained the role of vegetables in fighting cancer.

The Dose, a podcast, recently featured sickle cell expert Cece Calhoun, MD, PhD, MBA, on new gene therapies for treating sickle cell disease.

Appendix cancer how common is it? And, how is treated? Dr. Kiran Turaga, MD, MPH, chief of surgical oncology for Yale Medicine, answered those questions on Health Headlines on WTNH.

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Inc. (MMRF) is accepting proposals for its 2024 MMRF Research Fellowship Program, supporting early career researchers at the post-doctorate, medical fellow, or junior faculty levels currently active or interested in research in multiple myeloma. This program will provide up to $150,0000 of financial support over two (2) years ($75,000/year) to successful applicants. Details available here. Applications due: Friday, June 28 at 11:59 PM EST and must be submitted via ProposalCENTRAL, the MMRF’s grant management system. Paper applications will NOT be accepted

The Chronic Cancer Pain Research RFP was designed based on patient needs. It will focus on interventions for the prevention and/or treatment of cancer-related chronic pain. Specifically, the RFP welcome proposals focused on all types of cancer-related chronic pain, including but not limited to post-surgical pain, lymphedema-related pain, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, phantom pain, aromatase inhibitor-related joint pain, referred pain and bone metastasis pain. Letter of Intent deadline: July 9, 2024 • Full proposal deadline: Sept. 10, 2024 Learn more about the Chronic Pain RFP

Pfizer Global Medical Grants and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® have issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for “Understanding the Mechanisms and Formulating the Optimal Management of Hematological Toxicity of PARPi in the Treatment of Prostate Cancer.” The RFP supports proposals to optimize the management and minimize the incidence of hematologic toxicity in metastatic prostate cancer patients receiving PARPi. All hematologic toxicities can be investigated, but anemia must constitute the primary focus of the project. NCCN is the lead organization for review and evaluation of proposals. A Scientific Review Committee, led by NCCN, will make decisions on which proposals will receive funding. Grant funding and general oversight of the funded projects will be provided directly from Pfizer. For specifics select here. Application Due Date: July 23, 2024

• June 7: 9-10 a.m. Yale Cancer Center Grand Rounds/Sturges CML Lecture. Nikolai Podoltsev, MD, PhD on “Challenges in Management of Older Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML).” 55 Park St., auditorium, New Haven.

• June 9: 7:30-8 pm. Yale Cancer Answers on WNPR radio. “Providing Support to Cancer Patients” with Kristen Madrid, LCSW and Laura Donnelly, LCSW. Public radio stations.

• June 14: 9 am. Grand Rounds. "Synthetic Lethal Therapy for HPV-Negative Head and Neck Cancer" featuring Barbara Burtness, MD Anthony N. Brady Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology); Chief Translational Research Officer, Yale Cancer Center; Chief, Head and Neck Cancers/Sarcoma. 55 Park St., auditorium, New Haven.

• June 14 (Deadline extension): The Seventh Annual YCC Trainee Colloquium, planned for July 12, is accepting abstract submissions until June 14. At the forum Yale trainees can highlight their research, exchange ideas and collaborations. Applicants should be predoctoral MD, PhD, MD-PhD students, postdoctoral associates, postdoctoral fellows, residents, and clinical fellows engaging in cancer research. Online Registration and Abstract Submission. Questions? Email pamela.driscoll@yale.edu.

• June 21: 9 am. Grand Rounds. "Management of Facial Palsy following Head and Neck Cancer Therapy." featuring Suresh Mohan, MD Assistant Professor of Surgery (Otolaryngology). 55 Park St., auditorium, New Haven.

• June 27: 8 to 10 a.m. “Global Cancer Care in Older Adults: Improving Access to High-Quality Cancer Care for an Aging World.” Sponsored by the non-profit National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Register here

• June 28: 9 am, Grand Rounds, 55 Park St. auditorium, New Haven. The Iris Fischer Memorial Lecture, "Symptom Science and Cancer Survivors: Lessons Learned, Opportunities, and Challenges – A Personal Perspective," featuring Patricia A. Ganz, MD, Distinguished Professor of Health Policy & Management and Medicine, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

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