MUSC Hollings Cancer Center

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and NCI-designated Hollings Cancer Center (HCC) are seeking a nationally recognized and dynamic leader to serve as our Associate Director (AD) of Population Sciences. The successful candidate will be appointed a tenure-track Associate or Full Professor, depending on experience and qualifications. Serving on the senior leadership team of HCC, the successful candidate will build and develop the Cancer Center’s nationally recognized research in Population Sciences aimed at reducing the cancer burden on our uniquely diverse 46-county catchment area, which includes significant Black and growing Hispanic/Latino communities, low-income communities, and communities residing in rural locations, as well as older adults and those who are under-resourced economically. For a full description of the position, please visit https://lnkd.in/gGzDPTs8  

South Carolina recommends the HPV vaccine for all teens to protect against cancers caused by the human papillomavirus. Dr. Evan Graboyes treats people with cancers of the throat, one of the cancers caused by HPV. He recently talked to KPBS about the vaccine.

Guidelines on taking aspirin to reduce colon cancer risk have changed over the years. Now, a new study is drilling down to show which groups are most likely to benefit. “We try as hard as we can to get people in a healthier state, but in some people, it’s just very difficult to lose weight or quit smoking. This could be a simple option that could help, especially for those who are at highest risk,” says Hollings director Dr. Raymond DuBois. He wasn't involved in the study but, as a colon cancer researcher, was asked to provide expert commentary. https://lnkd.in/eK76eWtP

Some projects just stick with you. That was the way for a Group 3 medulloblastoma research project for Jezabel R Blanco PhD. She started it years ago in Miami, then brought it to Charleston and kept working on it on the side. Group 3 medulloblastoma, by the way, is the most aggressive of four subtypes of medulloblastoma, with the worst prognosis. So it wasn't just academic curiosity that kept her working on this side project, but a desire to help kids and their families affected by this awful cancer. Now, her research is pointing to a promising treatment.

The Community Health Van is on the move! Our team was in Marion County to help families to get their kids vaccinated before the start of school. The van offers required school vaccines as well as the recommended HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine is for boys and girls and protects them from strains of the human papillomavirus that can cause six types of cancer later in life. 

Lakisha Mack received not one but two cancer diagnoses - one of them quite rare. To top it off, her cancer journey began during the uncertain and frightening first year of COVID. Yet the doctors and nurses at Hollings and @muschealth were always welcoming and reassuring, she said. “Me and my mom were coming back and forth here in the height of COVID,” she said. “None of my nurses, none of my doctors in the main hospital – I didn't see them upset. I didn't see them have a bad day. Everybody treated me just like their own. They had such smiles on their faces. They could have not been here. They could have stayed home with their families because COVID was high. None of them did. And everybody knew me and my mom by name."

Our Community Outreach and Engagement team was on the ground at Rep. James Clyburn's Ollie Johnson Memorial I-95 Health Fair in Santee to educate the community about cancer risk and the importance of early detection through routine screenings. Pictured are COE director Dr. Marvella Ford, Rep. Clyburn, program manager Melanie Slan and cancer disparities educator Amber McCoy.

Hollings is the first in South Carolina to begin using the MOLLI surgical system. Surgical oncologist Dr. Andrea Abbott explains how this system helps surgeons to more precisely locate a breast tumor and, in the process, spare more healthy tissue.

Hollings pulmonologist Dr. Adam Fox, who was recently awarded an American Cancer Society grant, talks to Bobbi Connor about how biomarker testing helps doctors provide targeted treatment for lung cancer. Listen to Health Focus on your SC Public Radio station, or check out the website: https://lnkd.in/eSAZkk5E

"Everyone puts the dog poop bag on the leash. Why don’t you put a sunscreen stick on there?" says Hollings' Dr. Andrea Abbott. She talked to the Post and Courier about the importance of sunscreen during regular daily activities, not just when you head out to the beach.