Seek | Summer 2009

Purpose Driven Answering the Call to Heal

Avis Simms is a graduate student and Ph.D. candidate at UAMS. Page 12.

seek SUMMER 2009

Editor Susan Van Dusen Art Director Laurie Shell Photographer Johnpaul Jones

Seek is published quarterly for the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute by the Office of Communications & Marketing at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham St. #890, Little Rock, AR 72205-7199; phone (501) 686-5686; Fax (501) 686-6020.

Director, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Peter D. Emanuel, M.D. Associate Director of Administration, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Shirley Gray Executive Director, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Foundation Rachelle Sanders Database Manager Kelly Pollnow

WINTHROP P. ROCKEFELLER CANCER INSTITUTE

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As the UAMS campus transitions to its fourth chancellor, I want to extend deep heartfelt thanks to Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson for his years of dedicated service.

I knew of this transition when I accepted the position to come to the Cancer Institute, but I never hesitated in my decision thanks to the leadership shown by Dr. Wilson. That’s the kind of trust and confidence he instills in his colleagues.

Despite his thoughtful, sometimes understated manner, Dr. Wilson can move mountains. Medicine in Arkansas and programs at UAMS have grown and flourished under his leadership as chancellor and, before that, as dean of the College of Medicine.

His handprint and influence are evident around every corner, and I’m not just talking about the physical landscape of the campus. I feel fortunate to have known Dr. Wilson as a boss, a mentor and a friend.

Please join me in thanking him for a job well done.

This issue of Seek includes stories that are a bit off the beaten path.

We often say that the UAMS campus attracts patients from every state and more than 40 foreign countries, but we don’t say nearly as much about the great variety of people who work here.

Some of our employees have overcome great odds and distances (and that doesn’t just mean actual number of miles) to help with the cancer research effort. Read some of those stories in this issue.

We also feature the area of biostatistics. What’s that you say?

Well, let me put it this way: How does a researcher know that his or her results actually have significance beyond their gut feeling? Well, that is the mathematical world of biostatistics — assigning a unit of measure demonstrating the significance of research results.

Yet another story is a tribute to Greg Pacheco, a man with a very rare disease called Castleman’s and his efforts to help our research program.

This issue goes to show that everyone can contribute, no matter where they start.

Peter D. Emanuel, M.D. Director, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

contents SUMMER 2009

features

6

Here Comes Double Trouble

9

Good Fortune

Volunteer duo brings their own brand of sunshine to patients.

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Four Cancer Institute staff members share their stories of providing hope.

16 18

Behind the Scenes

20

Makhoul Under Pressure

Biostatisticians leave an important mark on research.

Right Place, Right Time

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UAMS Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson’s support has made the Cancer Institute flourish.

Issam Makhoul, M.D., is a master at managing multiple roles.

in every issue Profile ........................................................... 4

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Greg Pacheco travels halfway across the country to receive treatment for a rare condition.

Medicine Bag......................................................14

Lung cancer specialists arrive National Cancer Institute grant Campsite dedication Upcoming events

Expansion...........................................................22 The Cancer Institute from A to Z.

Spotlight.............................................................26 Care Caps Envoys

Cover photo by Johnpaul Jones

PurPose Driventhe AnsweringAl CAll to he

“It was luck of the draw that I was fortunate enough to be born a Rockefeller. But with that comes the additional obligation, or I should say opportunity, to do some good.”

Winthrop P. Rockefeller 1948-2006 Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

s is a Avis Simm student and graduate ate at Ph.D. candid 12.

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✈ Giving Back

Greg Pacheco

knows the challenges of living with a rare medical condition, and he is determined to help others in the same situation.

California native

Pacheco and his wife, Charlyn, raised about $120,000 to purchase equipment dedicated to Castleman’s disease research at UAMS. Pacheco was diagnosed in 2004 with Castleman’s, a rare and incurable condition of the lymph nodes.

The lab, which

is located in the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, was named in honor of Pacheco.

It is run by Frits van Rhee, M.D., Ph.D., one of the country’s leading experts in Castleman’s disease.

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Greg Pacheco’s Castleman’s disease is under control thanks to treatment at UAMS.

Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

profile

Frequent Flier

The walk from Greg Pacheco’s front door to his car is not a long one. But in 2003, the 30-year-old could barely muster enough energy to take those few steps.

Today, the California native is walking, driving and traveling halfway across the country thanks to a new therapy offered at UAMS. What started out as chest pains and progressed to severe fatigue and night sweats, among other symptoms, practically incapacitated Pacheco for about 18 months.

“It was quite an ordeal,” said Pacheco, who saw 13 different doctors in his quest for answers.

Finally, in 2004, Pacheco was diagnosed with an extremely rare condition of the lymph nodes known as Castleman’s disease. Only about 200 new cases of Castleman’s are diagnosed each year in the United States.

“After my diagnosis, my wife, Charlyn, and I started doing research and quickly realized there was very little information available. We felt like we were in this alone,” he said.

After about four months, Pacheco located a treatment program in California and was preparing to start it when he heard about the work of UAMS’ Frits van Rhee, M.D., Ph.D. As director of clinical research for the UAMS Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

Greg Pacheco regularly travels from California to Arkansas for treatment of an extremely rare disease. He says it’s well worth the trip.

By Susan Van Dusen

van Rhee is internationally recognized as a Castleman’s expert and has developed one of the country’s top referral centers.

“Our research includes examining the genetic differences that predispose a person to Castleman’s and whether those differences, if they exist, affect how the person responds to treatment,” van Rhee said.

As a patient at UAMS, Pacheco travels from his Paso Robles, Calif., home to Little Rock about once a month to receive intravenous antibody treatment supervised by van Rhee. Pacheco has maintained this rigorous travel schedule for more than four years. His first two years of treatment required travel to Little Rock every two weeks.

The drug he receives, which is in the clinical trial stage, is called MRA and is designed to block the interaction between the immune protein known as Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and its receptor. Castleman’s patients overproduce IL-6, which causes the debilitating symptoms. If left unchecked, Castleman’s can progress to nonHodgkin’s lymphoma or other malignancies.

The therapy, Pacheco said, has given him back his life. “I still have Castleman’s disease, but it’s under control and I feel great. I can’t ask for any more than that,” he said.

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Here Comes

Double Trouble Pair of fun-loving Cancer Institute volunteers tag team to bring smiles and goodies to patients and guests.

By Nate Hinkel

Though they’re known as “Double Trouble,” the volunteer duo of Eileen Fulper (left) and Empie Byrne are more like the Cancer Institute’s own Little Red Riding Hoods, bringing goodies and smiles for patients and visitors each Thursday morning.

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Meet and Greet The duo has strong ties to UAMS. Byrne spent nearly the last decade before retiring at age 69 working in several

different areas on campus, Thursday mornings on most notably with the Grants Accounting department. Fulper, the first, sixth and seventh floors a former dairy farmer who raised of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller six children in Booneville, Miss., Cancer Institute are nothing but moved to Little Rock in 1994 trouble. to be with her oldest, Laura

And that’s a good thing.

“People see Empie and Eileen Hutchins, M.D., a professor and director of the Division of coming into the room and they Hematology/Oncology in the say, ‘Oh, no, here comes ‘Double Trouble,’” said Janie Lowe, director UAMS College of Medicine.

After seeing the pair in of volunteer services. “But it’s far action, effortlessly engaging from being a serious nickname. patients’ minds with lighthearted They’re just always together conversation and their bellies here and are so well-liked and appreciated that everyone likes to with cheese and crackers or homemade goodies, the have a little fun with them.” chemistry between them

Empie Byrne, 77, and Eileen suggests they’ve been lifelong Fulper, 82, make up the joketelling, treat-baking volunteer duo friends. But that’s not the case.

“We met about seven years affectionately referred to among ago through a knitting class we Cancer Institute patients and were both taking and have been employees as “Double Trouble.”

They can be found most Thursdays close ever since,” Fulper said. “I guess when we’re around each volunteering their time and wit other the fun is just kind of from 9 a.m. until noon, or until “they get so tired of us they kick us contagious.”

The knitting class was out,” Byrne said. offered through the Little Rock

“We really try to have a lot nonprofit LifeQuest of Arkansas, of fun and keep a light, positive and friends at the organization attitude around the people who have taken to calling the duo the are here for treatment and their “Knit Wits.” After becoming fast families,” Byrne said. “We’re always amazed by the friendliness friends at the class, Fulper kept asking Byrne about coming with and good attitudes of everyone her to UAMS to volunteer until we meet.”

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she finally took her up on the offer.

“And the rest, as they say, is history,” Byrne said.

Patient Popularity

Over the years the pair has formed quite a relationship with several patients while delivering blankets, talking and keeping the coffee fresh.

Fulper said one patient from Texas brings her home-canned blackberries. Another “gabby soul” wanted a homemade pie, so she baked him a blueberry pie. And there was a patient from Pine Bluff who battled cancer for nearly three years who prompted her to bring his favorite Jolly Ranchers hard candy with her on Thursdays.

“The people we see are remarkable, and despite what they might be going through they never complain,” Fulper said. “Some are terribly sick, yet they are a joy to be around.”

Byrne has similar stories with her interactions with guests, but said it’s sometimes tough to run into people from church and other old acquaintances who are now experiencing cancer.

The tables have turned since “Double Trouble’s” debut nearly seven years ago. The once dependable driver Fulper, who used to be chief carpooler, has stopped driving and now depends on Byrne as her “chauffeur.”

And even though Fulper is sometimes slowed by her diabetes, the pair is on campus most Thursdays spreading its joy. You’ll know it when you hear someone say, “Look out, ’cause here comes Double Trouble.”

Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

. . .

Good . . . . . .

F o Rt U n e For Cancer Institute staff

members, the work they do is not

just a job. It’s their good fortune.

The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is filled with employees who consider it a privilege to provide hope to those who need it most, whether through research, patient care or just offering a smile.

Here are a few of their stories

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Âť

Priyangi Malaviarachchi Research Technologist II

The tropical warm climate and beautiful sandy beaches of Sri Lanka are a far cry from the landlocked unpredictable weather in Arkansas.

But opportunity in the Natural State knocked and Priyangi Malaviarachchi answered. A desire to pursue a computer science career after high school brought her from the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo to study in Arkansas’ capital at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Malaviarachchi’s aunt and uncle moved to Little Rock from London in the 1990s so her aunt could pursue a nursing career at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. So following The 29-year-old high school, she moved found her niche in with her Arkansan and has been at relatives and began UAMS since 2005, college. now working as a “The funny leukemia research thing is that I technologist. came here to study computer science, but after taking one biology class, I realized that’s what I wanted to do,” Malaviarachchi said.

The 29-year-old found her niche and has been at UAMS since 2005, now working as a leukemia research technologist. And though she misses her mother, brother and sister back on her native tropical island and visits at least once annually, she’s found a home at UAMS. “I feel at home at UAMS and am proud to be working with people who are making a difference in people’s lives,” she said. — Nate Hinkel

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Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

Carl Rice Greeter

Some people wonder about their purpose in life. Carl Rice isn’t one of those people.

Born in 1959 at University Hospital (now the

UAMS hospital), Rice’s career has brought him right back where he started. “I knew I wanted to work at UAMS,” he said. “It has the same mission that God gave me, to help and serve people.”

Since 2007, Rice has spent his days in the same

spot, greeting patients as they arrive at the Cancer Institute. In the rain, he’s there. In the snow, ice and heat, he’s there. And as anyone who passes through those doors will attest, he is never without a smile.

“I’m the first person the patients see, and I want to uplift them. I want them to know that there is more to life

“

I’m the first person the patients see, and I want to uplift them.”

than what they’re going through right now,” he said.

One of seven children, Rice credits his mother for

teaching him to respect and honor all people, regardless of their circumstance. It’s a quality that helps him approach each day with enthusiasm and hopefulness.

“I’m excited when I get here every morning. There is

hope in this place. The caring is genuine, and you can feel it.” — Susan Van Dusen

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avis simms

Graduate Student, Ph.D. Candidate

The grief resulting from the death of a family member can be manifested into a powerful motivating factor.

That’s certainly the case for Avis Simms,

24, who has seen firsthand a fair share of the destruction cancer can create for a family. Her aunt passed away seven years ago from pancreatic cancer, just as Simms was finishing high school and narrowing her course of study options.

“Her death was definitely a motivating factor

in wanting to pursue a career researching cancer and treatment,” said Simms, a native of Gulfport, Miss. “It’s always a constant reminder of the important work that’s left to be done.”

“

And as if her aunt’s death wasn’t enough, Simms’ grandmother died

It’s always a in 2005 from leukemia, constant reminder serving as yet another sign of the important she chose the right career work that’s left path. After graduating to be done.” from Tougaloo College,

Simms came to UAMS and is now a graduate student and Ph.D. candidate, working under Thomas Kelley, Ph.D., researching breast cancer metastasis angiogenesis.

“My aunt and grandmother are heroes to

me and I am reminded of them in my everyday work,” Simms said. “Eventually I hope to be a part of identifying better treatments for patients.”

— Nate Hinkel

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Tim Chambers, Ph.d.

Professor and Vice Chairman of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

A trip “across the pond” from the

United Kingdom and a flirtation with private industry out East were just two stops along the way that led to the discovery of a well-kept secret.

“We stumbled upon a hidden gem in

Little Rock,” said Tim Chambers, Ph.D., whose UAMS lab focuses on the basic aspects of cancer chemotherapy, especially the mechanisms that link drug-induced damage to destruction or protective cellular responses.

“A very scenic and

“

recreational atmosphere

wonderful things going on at UAMS made it an easy choice to settle down combined with the

There’s always something wonderful right around the corner here in Arkansas and at UAMS.”

here and raise a family.”

Following his doctoral training in

Portsmouth, UK, Chambers made his way to America for postdoctoral training in biochemistry/ pharmacology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He then dabbled in private industry working in a research lab for a pharmaceutical company.

“That wasn’t for me,” he said.

After a stint as a research assistant professor

at Emory University in the early 1990s, he found what he was looking for.

“There’s always something wonderful right

around the corner here in Arkansas and at UAMS,” said Chambers, who is celebrating his 15th year at the university. “We love it here.”

— Nate Hinkel

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gs brin r e b ities n u Octo t or opp l a e r rt th seve o p p to su ute. t i t s n cer I Can

LungCancer

Specialists Arrive Lung cancer specialists Thaddeus Bartter, M.D., and Matthew A. Steliga, M.D., have joined the UAMS staff.

Bartter has been named professor and director of Interventional Pulmonology in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division of the UAMS College of Medicine. He previously held a position at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Steliga is an assistant professor in the UAMS Department of Surgery’s Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. He was previously at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

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Rock Star Lounge – Oct. 1 at the home of Edward O. and Angela Moody in Little Rock This first-ever event will feature a Rolling Stones tribute band, a Rock Band game competition, festive food and specialty cocktails. For info: (501) 526-2277 QVC Presents FFANY Shoes on Sale – Oct. 13 A portion of the proceeds from the sale of more than 100,000 pairs of shoes will benefit the Cancer Institute’s breast cancer program. For info: www.ffany.org

Tiny Hands Monster Bash – Oct. 23 at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church This family-friendly costume party benefits the UAMS Family Home, an affordable housing option for long-term patients and their loved ones. For info: (501) 765-0717 Partners Card Week – Oct. 30-Nov. 8 Purchase a $50 card and receive a 20 percent discount at almost 200 central and northwest Arkansas shops.

Proceeds benefit the Cancer Institute Auxiliary. For info: (501) 686-8286

Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

HOPE for Earlier Diagnoses

A first-of-its-kind clinical trial exploring a way to diagnose cancer in its earliest stages is being conducted at the Cancer Institute. The five-year National Cancer Institute grant of about $1.5 million was awarded to Vladimir Zharov, Ph.D., professor and director of the Phillips Classic Laser and Nanomedicine Laboratories at UAMS.

The clinical trial builds on a technique known as in vivo photoacoustic flow cytometry, previously developed by Zharov and colleague Ekaterina Galanzha. The technique allows researchers to identify and count a wide range of cell types, including those related to cancer, infection, cardiovascular disease and the body’s immune system.

With this grant they will focus on detecting so-called circulating tumor cells that might predict if the tumor will spread from the original site to neighboring blood vessels and occur as tumors in other parts of the body.

Vladimir Zharov is using a $1.5 million grant to move his laser-triggered nanoparticles research into clinical trials that could revolutionize cancer detection and treatment.

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

The new med ical extended -stay campsite cutting by (s econd from s are celebrat left) Peter Em ed with a rib Lt. Gen. Robe anuel, M.D.; rt L. Van Antw Richard Pierso bon erp; patients; n; and guests.

HomeAwayfromHome

After almost a year in the making, the dream of opening 10 long-term patient campsites was realized at a May ceremony.

An agreement between UAMS and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was announced July 29, 2008, to establish the Maumelle Park campsites for patients undergoing extended medical treatment. Interest in the campsites is high, and they are expected to maintain an ongoing waiting list.

According to the Corps, more than 81 campers in Maumelle Park during the previous year sought long-term stays related to medical care. However, federal regulations limited the time that individuals can stay at the Corps-operated park, often requiring them to move before their treatment was complete.

UAMS provided $90,000 for the partnership led by UAMS’ Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy and Medical Center. The Corps obtained seed money for construction management, septic needs, and daily utilities and maintenance.

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Lift the curtain on a well-designed scientific study and you’ll find the handiwork of a biostatisticiaN.

By David Robinson

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How many Biostatisticians does it take to change a light bulb?

Answer: 1.69 OK, not too funny, but the point is biostatisticians work in a world with more mathematical nuance than the average person.

They help scientists reach valid conclusions, and whenever there’s a scientific breakthrough, there’s more than likely a biostatistician whose mathematical design enabled the project to withstand scrutiny.

In 2003, UAMS, recognizing the expanding role of biostatistics on campus, established the Department of Biostatistics and named Paula Roberson, Ph.D., chairwoman. Roberson has been recognized nationally for her work and serves on a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cancer review panel.

Prepared for Growth

Last year Roberson’s faculty and research staff collaborated with 219 UAMS investigators and on 58 published manuscripts and book chapters.

That compares to the

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

previous year’s 205 investigators and 47 publications.

Research at UAMS is expected to grow even more in the coming years with the 2010 completion of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute expansion.

Peter Emanuel, M.D., director of the Cancer Institute, envisions UAMS as a major cancer research presence in the region.

Fulfilling that vision will mean further expanding the Cancer Institute’s research programs in the manner of its highly successfully Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, which has an international reputation as a premier research institute.

Hiring the Best In addition to the bricks and mortar of the new Cancer Institute, Emanuel last year put into place a cornerstone for the research that will be done there; he recruited Jeannette Lee, Ph.D., professor and biostatistician.

Lee, like Roberson, is nationally recognized for her work, serving on several NIH and National Cancer Institute review and advisory committees. She and Emanuel were colleagues at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine before joining UAMS. “There are a lot of opportunities here at UAMS,” said Lee, who received her doctorate from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

and who specializes in the development of clinical trials.

“It was a real plus for me that Dr. Emanuel was here, and the new Cancer Institute is very appealing.”

Dynamic Career In most cases, Lee works closely with UAMS’ cancer researchers in designing their studies. But as important as the biostatistician’s role may be, they aren’t usually the stars of the project.

“If you choose to be a biostatistician, that’s just the reality,” Lee said, but quickly noted that new statistical methods developed by biostatisticians are often published in elite medical journals.

Both Lee and Roberson said that people are often surprised to learn there’s so much active research in their field.

“The statistical methods are not all set in stone,” Roberson said. “There’s not a bible of statistical methods that gives you the answer to every situation.”

Roberson said it is that challenge, plus the diversity of research at UAMS that keeps her fascinated.

“I get to stay on the cutting edge of research in a variety of fields,” she said. “I’m constantly learning.”

Jeannette Lee also is director of the Statistical Center for the National Cancer Institute-funded AIDSAssociated Malignancies Clinical Trials Consortium.

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Right

Place, Right Time Wilson’s UAMS arrival coincided with the early days of the Cancer Institute.

By Jon Parham

UAMS Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson will retire this fall after nine years at the post.

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To say UAMS Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, M.D., arrived at the ground floor of the Cancer Institute’s development is not a stretch.

When he came to Arkansas in 1986 to become dean of the UAMS College of Medicine, fundraising was under way to build the first four floors of a facility to house the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, the precursor to the Cancer Institute. Wilson, who will retire this year as chancellor, saw that first building open in 1989.

As Wilson marked a decade as dean in 1996, a seven-floor expansion was opening on the Cancer Institute’s Walker Tower. In his seventh year as chancellor in 2007, Wilson This expansion presided over would not have groundbreaking been possible for the 12-floor expansion now without his under construction. creative thinking.”

“I take the most joy from seeing success. And to me it’s the people who had the vision and who worked tirelessly to get it started,” Wilson said. “The facility offered the Cancer Institute the opportunity to grow, but you have to have the people — the clinicians, the researchers and caregivers — to make it work.”

He cited the late Chancellor Harry Ward, M.D., who supported early plans by surgeons Kent Westbrook, M.D., and James Suen, M.D., for a cancer center at UAMS. He also pointed to medical oncologist Laura Hutchins, M.D., who helped create early cancer programs at the Institute and internationally known multiple myeloma expert Bart Barlogie, M.D., Ph.D., who succeeded Westbrook and preceded Suen as director of the Cancer Institute.

“Dr. Wilson has always been very enthusiastic about what we were doing,” Westbrook said.

Westbrook described Wilson’s leadership as College of Medicine dean and later as chancellor as “quiet and steady” with a thirst to know all of the details of any project.

“

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

Wilson said an early memory of his at UAMS was attending fundraisers across the state supporting the Cancer Institute and in honor of the young daughter of then-Arkansas Razorbacks basketball coach Nolan Richardson, Yvonne, who would succumb to leukemia as a teen.

“It really impressed me how people from all over Arkansas would come together … who rose to the occasion to support a good cause,” Wilson said.

Westbrook credited Wilson’s work as chancellor to secure funding for the latest Cancer Institute expansion. “He worked with supporters.

He worked with the bankers on the bond details.

He helped garner legislative support for creating the state matching fund for the expansion.

“Dr. Wilson went to the Legislature and said the Cancer Institute was critical to the UAMS campus and to the state and was doing things of national importance. This expansion would not have been possible without his creative thinking.”

Added Hutchins: “He has seen the Cancer Institute grow from the beginning and has done everything he could to help it grow.”

Barlogie called Wilson a strong advocate for cancer programs at UAMS. “I am grateful for his unwavering support of the Cancer Institute as well as the 2001 establishment of the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy and its continued development,” said Barlogie, who noted that Wilson never took personal credit for these advances. Wilson credits Barlogie with an uncommon drive to cure multiple myeloma, a goal that has come within reach.

Wilson believes the future of the Cancer Institute is bright. “The thing that’s exciting is that the expansion gives us the opportunity to continue to grow — attracting more clinicians and researchers who will care for more patients and find new cancer treatments,” he said.

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Can cer doct Institute treatsor teac and hes, tests By Liz C

aldwe

.

ll

Growing up in Syria, Issam Makhoul, M.D., knew he wanted to be a physician. He had a strong passion for physics and biology, and he knew that being a doctor would bring greater opportunities in life.

But he never expected he would become a cancer specialist who today supervises medical students, fellows and residents in hematology/ oncology, chemotherapy and pharmacology at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

As a young physician in Syria and then in Paris, where he and his wife, Hanan, also a doctor, moved to practice, he focused on endocrinology. He practiced there 13 years, the last six working in intensive care, which he found extremely demanding physically and emotionally.

His interest began to turn toward oncology.

Cancer treatment options had been limited when he first became a physician. But research was changing all that.

The couple moved to Danville, Penn., where they both trained in internal medicine at Geisinger Medical Center, which eventually merged with Penn State.

He obtained a fellowship at Hershey, Penn., driving 160 miles round trip each day from his home in Danville.

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

In the United States on a training visa, he wanted a working visa, then a green card, that would allow him to remain. That opportunity came at UAMS. He and his family, which by then included three sons, moved to Little Rock in 2002.

At the Cancer Institute, Makhoul does clinical research in breast and gastrointestinal cancer and sees patients. He recently took over leadership of the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship program from Laura Hutchins, M.D., where he supervises 12 fellows and mentors two medical students, as well as works with resident physicians.

“It’s very interesting to be able to see these young souls grow in front of your eyes and learn to think for themselves.”

All his roles are interrelated, he said.

Observations made in clinic he then takes to basic scientists to test his theories. “Everybody brings their perspective to build something none of us can build separately,” he said, adding that he has a deep desire to bring new ideas to the table that will help his patients.

His love of patient care is particularly important in the Division of Hematology/ Oncology, which carries a high patient load. “I enjoy interaction with patients. Cancer is serious, but we have room to laugh, talk and joke. We don’t want to be terrorized by death and disease — we laugh in its face and have room for joy.”

While Arkansas was a big change from Paris, it was not unlike rural Pennsylvania. Makhoul likes how the city of Little Rock is intermingled with woodlands. He designed and built his house, and does all his own gardening. “I don’t let anybody touch my yard,” he said.

His oldest son, 26, is doing postdoctoral work in biophysics at Harvard University. His other boys, 14 and 11, are musically talented, playing the guitar, piano and saxophone. His wife continues to practice pulmonology and intensive care medicine.

Speaking of both Arkansas and his work at UAMS, Makhoul said, “I fell in love with the place. I feel like it’s home.”

Issam Makhoul, M.D., with hematology/oncology fellows Brooke Brander, a doctor of osteopathic medicine, and Mark Kyei, M.D.

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A look at the Cancer Institute expansion from A-Z.

By Jon Parham

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Bookout Translational Research Center. This fourth floor facility dedicated to the memory of longtime state legislator Jerry Bookout will promote the translation of scientific advances into new medical treatments.

Clean rooms. The fifth floor pharmacy will have clean rooms where medication can be prepared in a sterile environment.

Dumbwaiter. Another name used for the small elevators that will ferry medications between the pharmacy and clinical floors.

The existing facility does not have this convenience.

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(Above) An aerial shot of UAMS shows the Cancer Institute expansion in the center of campus, and a closer view (right) shows how the expansion connects to the Walker Tower building.

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Care Caps Who: Mary Philips, founder of Care Caps; Robin Dean, coordinator of the Cancer Institute’s Auxiliary Cancer Support Center; and volunteers

Linda Simpson

Jamie Foster

What: The Care Caps program, based out of Heber Springs, uses volunteers to make caps for women and children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment.

When: The fourth Monday of every month

Where: UAMS Family Home

(L-R) Robin Dean, Lynda Allen, Esther Crawford, Pam Christian and Jean Hill

Glenda McClain

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Why: The first 50 caps made each month are distributed free of charge to patients at the Cancer Institute’s Patient Support Center, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the UAMS Family Home and the UAMS hospital.

Extra caps are sent to other locations across the country serving cancer patients.

Sadie Lamaire, Judy Mobarak and Sally Tanner

Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

spotlight

Envoys Who: Envoys president Hatim Smouni and members What: Envoys is a newly organized group of community leaders engaged in supporting the Cancer Institute by promoting its physicians, scientists, programs and vision.

When: June 1, 2009 Where: UAMS Winthrop P.

Rockefeller Cancer Institute

Why: Envoys held their first

Members of the Envoys Hatim Smouni (left); Beth Roberts (bottom left); and Jennifer Ronnel (bottom right)

meeting to elect officers and discuss plans for promoting the Cancer Institute in central Arkansas and beyond.

New officers include Hatim Smouni, president; Page Atkins, president-elect; Chance Tharp, treasurer; Tiffany Robinson, secretary; Win Rockefeller Jr., secretary-elect; Ross Cranford, marketing chairman.

For information about Envoys, call Cory Leigh Taylor at (501) 296-1504, Ext. 1686.

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

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NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

WINTHROP P. ROCKEFELLER CANCER INSTITUTE

PAID

LITTLE ROCK, AR PERMIT NO. 1973

4301 W. Markham St., #623 Little Rock, AR 72205

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