Mace Rothenberg Among Top Cancer Caregivers In U.S.

Main Category: Caregivers / Homecare
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 21 Feb 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Mace Rothenberg, M.D., professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, has been named one of the nation's top cancer caregivers by the American Cancer Society. He is one of eight care providers from a variety of backgrounds and regions chosen to receive the 2008 American Cancer Society Lane W. Adams Quality of Life Award, a prestigious national prize for cancer care. The award recognizes individuals who have made a difference through innovation, leadership and consistent excellence in providing compassionate, skilled care and counsel to persons living with cancer and their families.

"Going above and beyond the call of duty to extend the 'warm hand of service' to cancer patients is a top priority for these dedicated individuals," said Elmer Huerta, M.D., MPH, national volunteer president of the American Cancer Society.

Rothenberg is a medical oncologist who has made significant contributions to the development and FDA approval of drug treatments for colorectal and pancreatic cancer. He is co-director of the Gastrointestinal Specialized Programs of Research Excellence program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Rothenberg is the only medical caregiver in Tennessee chosen for this national award.

"I am so honored to receive this award from the American Cancer Society," said Rothenberg. "I have always felt that caring for people with cancer requires much more than an ability to calculate the right dose of chemotherapy. One of the greatest joys and challenges of what I do is to provide the best possible medical care in a context that recognizes and respects the wishes and needs of the patient and the family."

Rothenberg and the other recipients will be honored during a ceremony in Los Angeles, Calif., May 9.

The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of only 39 in the country and the only one in Tennessee to earn this highest distinction. Its nearly 300 faculty members generate more than $130 million in annual federal research funding, ranking it among the top 10 centers in the country in competitive grant support, and its clinical program sees approximately 4,000 new cancer patients each year. Vanderbilt-Ingram, based in Nashville, Tenn., recently joined with 21 of the world's leading centers in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a non-profit alliance dedicated to improving cancer care for patients everywhere.

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center