BECKY DEKAY was named president of the Association of Community Cancer Centers at its annual meeting April 2. She is director of oncology services at the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center at LSU Health Shreveport.
DeKay has been active in ACCC since joining the staff of LSU Health Shreveport in 2003. She has served on the governmental affairs committee, chaired both the membership and the strategic planning committees, and has published articles in the association’s journal. More recently, she served as ACCC treasurer for two years.
BERT HOWARD O’NEIL was named the inaugural Joseph W. and Jackie J. Cusick Professor of Oncology and a professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He is also the phase I director and director of the gastrointestinal cancer research program at the IU Simon Cancer Center, and he will represent the cancer center on the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium steering committee.
O’Neil was most recently an associate professor of medicine and director of the gastrointestinal malignancies research program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also was the medical director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center’s clinical protocol office. His area of expertise is in gastrointestinal cancers, with a concentration on pancreas, colorectal, and hepatocellular carcinomas.
The professorship was established by Jackie Cusick in memory of her husband Joseph, who co-founded, co-owned and co-operated NCA Group. He was instrumental in building New Hope Presbyterian Church in Fishers, Ind. It is the intent of the donor that the holder be involved in clinical or basic science research aimed at enhancing treatment for patients with gastrointestinal cancers.
A modest proposal from a former FDA commissioner: Add antidepressants to the nation’s water supply
Warning: This is not a public health recommendation. Do not implement.