The American Cancer Society recognized John Ruckdeschel, director of the University of Mississippi Medical Center Cancer Institute and professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, for his work and his continuing support of the ACS.
ACS presented the St. George National Award to Ruckdeschel during a ceremony in Jackson on Sept. 20.
Ruckdeschel commended the ACS for its work on the Gertrude C. Ford Hope Lodge in Jackson, currently under construction adjacent to UMMC. The Hope Lodge is scheduled to open in early 2019 and will provide rooms for patients being treated at Jackson-area cancer centers and their family members. Lodging and transportation to treatment are free.
Conceived in 1949 by Charles S. Cameron, former ACS medical and scientific director, the St. George National Award has been presented annually to ACS volunteers nationwide. Nominees must have served as leaders in the community, mission delivery and/or governance in more than one area of focus for a minimum of four continuous years and must represent ACS in a manner that advances the cause and expands community presence. The St. George National Award Task Force reviews all nominations and shares the award winners with the ACS Board of Directors.
Ruckdeschel is a medical oncologist with a focus on thoracic malignancies.
He is a former CEO at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, leading it to a NCI comprehensive designation. He later served as CEO of the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit and the Nevada Cancer Institute in Las Vegas.
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