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Cancer Center Director Named
President-Elect of National Society
Dr. Carolyn Runowicz, director of the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, was recently named president-elect of the American Cancer Society. She will become president of the society in 2005.
“I’m very pleased to be able to expand my role as an officer and ambassador for the American Cancer Society,” Runowicz said. “As president-elect, I will continue to promote the cancer society’s mission to fight cancer through hope, progress, and answers – all of which are consistent with the goals and vision of the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center.”
This is the third major appointment for Dr. Runowicz this year. In June, she was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board, and in February she was named a “Local Legend” by the American Medical Women’s Association.
“Such a prestigious honor clearly recognizes the many important contributions Dr. Runowicz has made at the national level in the battle against cancer,” said Dr. Peter J. Deckers, executive vice president for health affairs. “We are proud that her skills, intelligence, and experience are now helping to strengthen our signature program in oncology.”
Runowicz is an advocate of research to improve treatments, early detection, and the prevention of cancer. This fall, she and her husband, Dr. Sheldon Cherry, authored a new book about advances in cancer prevention, The Answer to Cancer.
“It’s an honor for me to be part of the national cancer leadership during such an exciting time in cancer research,” Runowicz said. “New targeted therapies are available for patients with cancer. Clinical trials have also shown that we now have drugs that actually prevent cancer. We are standing at the cusp of a new era in cancer care.”
In addition to her work with the American Cancer Society, Runowicz was the first woman president of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists. She currently serves on the National Cancer Institute’s Scientific Review Group, and is involved with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Runowicz has also been chair of the Gynecologic Committee of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project.
Runowicz has been involved with research studies on ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, epithelial cancer and more. She has written more than 100 contributions to medical literature, including scientific abstracts and textbook chapters, and is widely published in scholarly journals .
Books she has written include To Be Alive: A Woman’s Guide to a Full Life After Cancer; The Menopause Book: A Guide to Women’s Health After 40, co-authored with Cherry; and Women and Cancer: A Thorough and Compassionate Resource for Patients and Their Families.
