MD Anderson Cancer Center's 2010-2011 Annual Report highlights achievements and contributions of faculty, staff, volunteers and donors in advancing the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer.
With major forces challenging health care today, MD Anderson continues its goal of enhancing quality in the midst of change.
Ask survivors to place a value on a future free from cancer, and they will say it's priceless. Put the question to a growing number of faculty and employees, and many will point to a wide range of initiatives designed to define, measure, share and improve the value of MD Anderson care.
Ibi Opuiyo gives little credence to the word "unfixable." When she united her colleagues, seeking to solve a bottleneck in patient care, she turned on her computer and "attended" courses at MD Anderson's Quality College.
For the past 15 years, Bill Hyslop's world has revolved around quality — and numbers. The president and chief executive officer of MD Anderson Physicians Network says the affiliated hospitals and health care systems look to the institution to help improve the quality of cancer care in their communities.
"Do you smoke cigarettes now?" is an important question. It can yield some promising results, according to Jennifer Irvin Vidrine, Ph.D., assistant professor in MD Anderson's Department of Health Disparities Research.
A youth symphony violinist, first-chair trumpet player in his high school band, varsity cross-country runner and stellar student with an affinity for physics, Shane Leonard didn't have cancer on his busy agenda. Then, he was diagnosed with the disease the summer before his senior year.
With a focus on quality, MD Anderson established the Perioperative Enterprise to better manage and coordinate operating room teams. The effort has paid off.
In 2004, James Yao, M.D., learned that one patient can open a whole new world of possibilities. After examining a young woman with two rare diseases, he asked himself: "Are there similarities in the two that might present a treatment target?" That was the beginning of the quest that led him to everolimus.
When Joseph Nates, M.D., joined MD Anderson's faculty in 2002, he discovered a high incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. By 2009, he and his team had brought its occurrence to zero.
As he ends each week traveling from Katy to the Bay Area to care for his patients, Richard Ehlers, M.D., never loses sight of his calling. He is part of a growing team of highly trained MD Anderson surgical oncologists who care for patients through an expanding suburban regional care network.
Reginald Munden, M.D., sees a light at the end of the tunnel with the release of the findings of the National Lung Screening Trial. The bright glimmer is that the trial reported a 20% reduction in lung cancer deaths among heavy smokers whose lung cancers were first spotted with a low-dose helical CT scan.
The mirror is not always a glowing reflection of one's self. For Jason Cox, there was a point when he didn't even recognize himself. Today, though, his reflection shows a successful attorney, a community volunteer and, most important, a survivor.
MD Anderson awards seed grants to help investigators study health issues pertinent to a cancer survivor.
The needs are dire. In the United States, a shortage of health care professionals is expected to worsen as an aging population retires and requires more care. To attract the best and brightest to essential health care jobs, MD Anderson has a growing number of innovative programs.
Breast Pathologist Aysegul Sahin, M.D., loves to share her knowledge and experiences with young people. She believes the benefits are far from one-sided.
After more than 15 years of submitting grants, Khandan Keyomarsi, Ph.D., knows what it takes to be successful. It's this knowledge that led her to develop a program geared toward junior faculty, so they would know, too.
Cancer Prevention Researcher Lorna McNeill, Ph.D., has embarked on an important ministry. In collaboration with Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston, she helps members improve their health and well-being through Project CHURCH.
Andria Schibler hopes the yeast she uses every day will do much more than make bread dough rise. Her ultimate goal is to help improve leukemia patients' survival.
ASPIRE is a curriculum-based interactive experience for middle and high school students, focused on smoking prevention.
Double black diamond skier Bill Daigneau likes a good challenge. For the past 17 years, MD Anderson's vice president for operations and facilities management has led the charge of bringing to life a shared vision among the institution's leaders.
The towering new building anchoring MD Anderson's Mid Campus resembles a ship with its prow facing the Texas Medical Center. Inside, Mid Campus Building 1 is a warm, bright and colorful space.
It was all part of the initial plan. When architects, engineers and construction workers returned to MD Anderson's Alkek Hospital in 2007, the foundation was in place to add nine floors to the building to meet growing inpatient needs.
Advances in cancer detection and treatment will materialize rapidly in the coming decade thanks to the convergence of genome analysis, advanced imaging and the development of targeted therapies at MD Anderson's South Campus Research Buildings III and IV.
If you had to design a space that appealed to a 5-year-old as well as a 25-year-old, what would it look like? That is exactly the question architects, patients, volunteers and parents have worked to answer about the renovation of MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital.
MD Anderson's campus continues to expand in an effort to meet the ever-growing needs of its mission areas.
When it comes to philanthropy, there are myriad ways to make a difference. For Don Schlattman, choosing just one was not enough.
He's often on the golf course and you can find her riding a bike. But Twilight and Marc Freedman become a pair when they volunteer at MD Anderson.
In September 2010, Harry Longwell of Dallas wrestled with a problem many fundraisers would love to have. The result was completion of a campaign that raised $1.215 billion.
Pennies on Monday, nickels on Tuesday, dimes on Wednesday, quarters on Thursday and counting on Friday. It's called Coins for a Cause.
Don't underestimate college kids. Each summer, about 50 students from The University of Texas at Austin saddle bicycles and ride for 70 days from their central Texas campus to Anchorage, Alaska. They ride to fight cancer.
MD Anderson's Holiday Giving Program allows donors to express their appreciation for others, while supporting programs for cancer patients.