The Cigarette Restitition Fund at Johns Hopkins

The combined dedication of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and Cancer Survivors Day Celebration with the day’s theme “Life, Courage, and Rays of Hope,” serves as a poignant reminder of the real purpose of our Center.  I saw all of those qualities in the faces of our patients and families, concerned citizens, public figures, and our own faculty and staff who were on hand to mark and honor cancer survivorship and Mr. Kimmel’s commitment to the fight against cancer.  The opportunity for real advances in cancer discovery, prevention, detection, and treatment provided by this investment in our Center is true cause for celebration.

Those of us who work in the field of oncology are keenly aware of the importance of time, where lost opportunities are painfully synonymous with the loss of human life.  We realize that the accumulation of resources is of little value to those affected by cancer without the wise dedication of these resources.

It is critically important that we share, not duplicate our knowledge and expertise so that we may move more quickly and more wisely to transfer discoveries from the laboratory to the bedside and the community.  There is no better example of this than our partnerships with the state-sponsored Cigarette Restitution Fund cancer projects where we are working collaboratively with leading experts in genetics, new cancer research technologies, and public health at Howard University, the University of Maryland, the State Health Department, and our community hospitals and organizations to break this disease’s grip on our nation’s urban centers.

At the same time, we are looking inward to restructure and redirect our efforts where they will have the greatest benefit.  One example of this is our new drug development programs, which provides a key clinical link to our basic scientists, allowing our faculty to identify novel compounds and design new clinical trials based on their laboratory discoveries of genetic and cellular targets involved in the initiation and progression of cancer.

Sadly, there are many things to fear at this time in our nation’s history and unfortunately, cancer ranks among them.  While we have no control over many of these threats, cancer is one we feel certain we can – and will – overcome.

Stephen Baylin, M.D.
Deputy Director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research

John D. Groopman, Ph.D.
Anna M. Baetjer Professor and Chair of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health