A Letter from the President
Dear Readers,
Edward J. Benz Jr., MD
Earlier this year, we did some soul-searching about the qualities that define Dana-Farber as an organization. Those discussions included Institute leaders, staff, patients, and their families. Our deliberations generated a set of "core values" expressing who we are and how we do our work.
Those values — Impact, Discovery, Compassion and Respect, and Excellence — are not just a statement about Dana-Farber's heritage or its present position. They are touchstones for the many decisions that lie ahead for us. DFCI is poised for dramatic changes spurred by advances in technology, the accelerating pace of discovery, and trends in financing patient care and research. To maintain our bearings during this era — and to enhance the leadership position we've long held — we'll need a firm grasp of the principles that matter most to us as an organization.
The feature articles in this issue of Paths of Progress spotlight each of these values.
The cover piece on cancer vaccines, for example, is a prime illustration of Discovery. The past two decades have seen an explosion of knowledge about the human immune system — the network of cells and antibodies that protect us from disease. We can now begin harnessing the immune system to fight cancer. Dana-Farber scientists have devised vaccines that attempt to aim an immune attack directly at cancer cells, leaving normal cells unscathed. Some of these vaccines are being tested today in patients.
The notion of Excellence is exemplified in the story on the Institute's Pediatric Brain Tumor Program. As more children survive brain tumors, the complications that may arise as a result of treatment are receiving more attention. Conscience demands that caretakers acknowledge the effect of such problems on patients' lives. At Dana-Farber, we're expanding the concept of excellence in patient care to include quality-of-life programs for pediatric brain tumor survivors. One such program works with patients and school personnel to address academic or social difficulties these young survivors may encounter.
One of the best examples of Compassion and Respect is patient involvement in improving care at the Institute, the topic of another article. Dana-Farber has emerged as a national leader in the movement to involve patients, former patients, and family members in efforts to shape clinical services. Members of two Patient and Family Advisory Councils provide input on everything from the layout of exam areas, to safety initiatives, to programs on awareness of cultural differences. The influence they have on decision making at Dana-Farber reflects the respect with which their views are held.
The importance of having an Impact is particularly visible in the recent appointment of Lee Nadler, MD, as senior vice president for Experimental Medicine. Dr. Nadler, who is interviewed in this issue, is working to create the conditions in which translational research — sometimes called "bench-to-bedside" research — can flourish here. The clearest way to affect the lives of patients, today and tomorrow, is to push the edge of cancer science and care. Emphasizing work that converts laboratory discoveries into better treatments is crucial to that goal. Philip Kantoff, MD, who excels as a translational researcher in the field of genitourinary cancer, is the focus of this issue's physician profile.
These core values overlap in a variety of ways. Work that has an impact on people's lives depends as much on the respect we show patients and each other as it does on our commitment to discovery. I hope you'll agree that this issue of Paths of Progress illustrates how those qualities make Dana-Farber the extraordinary place it is.
Edward J. Benz Jr., MD
President, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
