H ealth News UR awarded $29 Million for Cancer Research UR Medicine’s Wilmot Cancer Institute is continuing its practice-changing research into cancer side-effects and symptom management with a coveted $29 million grant from the National Cancer Institute. The award is the largest single grant currently funded at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The NCI selected Wilmot’s Cancer Control and Supportive Care research program as a hub for the National Community Oncology Research Program or NCORP. As such, the Wilmot team is charged with designing and managing clinical studies to be carried out at oncology clinics at more than 1,000 NCORP affiliates in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. The grant not only honors longstanding research strength, but assures that the Wilmot Cancer Control program remains a leader for tackling issues of great concern to patients — nausea and chemo brain, neuropathy, fatigue, fitness and the use of supplements to quell common chemotherapy side effects and symptoms related to cancer and its treatments. With nearly 17 million cancer survivors in the U.S., which is an estimated 5% of the entire population, improving the lives of patients and survivors is a top priority, said
co-principal investigators Gary Morrow, Ph.D., M.S., and Karen Mustian, Ph.D. Both are dean’s professors in the UR Department of Surgery, and leaders at Wilmot. “It’s always been our mantra to help good people through lousy times,” Morrow said. “This new funding allows us to seamlessly continue our work while extending the mission to reach even more people on a national scale and throughout Rochester and the upstate New York region.” “The Wilmot Cancer Institute is a tremendous asset to the community,” said University of Rochester President Sarah Mangelsdorf. “This grant affirms our unquestioned leadership in the field of cancer control and adds another valuable component to what makes the University a great research institution.”
RRH gets exclusive contract from CDC After a national search, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention selected Rochester Regional Health as the only healthcare provider in the nation to collect pivotal research on childhood ear infections. The research will guide national policy decisions and the development of antibiotic treatments and vaccines. Rochester Regional Health Research Institute Director Michael
Pichichero, a physician, is leading the project. He is the top-rated expert on ear infections in the world and Rochester General Hospital is the tenth-highest ranked institution in the world for ear infection expertise. “The strains of bacteria causing ear infections are different than even a few years ago,” said Pichichero. “Many ear infections today are being caused by different bacteria, and the bacteria can be resistant to the antibiotics typically used. The research we’re providing will inform the CDC and other institutions about the bacteria they should be targeting. Our work will also guide future vaccine development.” According to the World Health Organization, ear infections occur globally in 60% of children between the ages of 1 and 4, representing more than 700 million cases each year. In the United States, ear infections lead to roughly 30 million doctor’s office visits each year, and the annual cost to treat ear infections in this country is roughly $6 billion. The samples will be collected using an ear tap — a procedure that allows a physician to collect a fluid sample from an infected ear and pinpoint the bacteria causing the infection. In addition to informing critical research, the ear tap benefits the individual child. By draining the fluid, doctors can better treat the infection and the child is less likely to have re-
peat infections. “The ear tap is painless with Novocaine on the eardrum. It helps the child and informs critical research; but it requires the provider to have specialized training,” Pichichero explained. “We have a team of doctors well-versed in administering ear taps, and that’s one of the reasons the CDC chose Rochester Regional Health as the award recipient.” The ear infection samples will be collected at three Rochester Regional Health pediatric primary care sites, each led by a practicing physician. The lead practice will be Finger Lakes Medical Associates in Geneva, led by physician Steven Schulz. Pediatricians at Newark, led by Nevidita Prabhu, and Bay Creek Pediatrics in Penfield, led by physician Andrew Sherman, will also participate. “When research can benefit the greater good as well as the child sitting in front of me, that’s the kind of study I want to be part of,” Andrew Sherman, pediatrician at Rochester Regional Health’s Bay Creek Pediatrics.
St. Ann’s residents recognized for artistic talents Four St. Ann’s Community residents were recently recognized for
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IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • November 2019