Prestigious National Award Given to UPMC Cancer Centers

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Recognizes Commitment to Community Service

PITTSBURGH , February 2008 — The UPMC Cancer Centers recently was awarded the National Chairman’s Citation for Excellence in Community Service from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The organization was nominated by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Society and was the only center to receive the award this year, out of over 50 nominations.

“We have a strong commitment at the UPMC Cancer Centers to community service, as well as to innovative clinical and translational research, and we are proud that the Pittsburgh chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society nominated us for the award in recognition of our efforts to support our patients, who come to us from all over western Pennsylvania and beyond,” said Ronald Herberman, M.D., director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and UPMC Cancer Centers, who accepted the award.

James A. Beck, president of the Pennsylvania and West Virginia Chapter Board of Trustees noted, “Through its forty plus local centers, the UPMC Cancer Centers has positioned itself as the key caregiver for patients who struggle with blood cancers and all cancer. We are indeed fortunate to have the centers in our chapter area to provide quality services to our patients dealing with leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.”

UPMC Cancer Centers offer cancer patients exceptional care and innovative treatments close to home. Working in tandem with the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), the region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, UPMC Cancer Centers provide the latest advances in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment at more than 40 community-based locations throughout the region. UPCI comprises the academic and research activities for cancer at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. The Society’s mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, the Society has invested more than $550 million in research specifically targeting blood cancers.