Author: George Weiner
Date: N/A

There is no question we are making progress against cancer in Iowa and beyond faster than ever before, and there is no question this progress is not fast enough.

I have the privilege of being involved in the effort to reduce the burden of cancer in my roles as a physician, a researcher, and an administrator, which gives me a broad perspective on the opportunities and challenges we face.

In this blog, I will not be speaking in any official capacity (my various roles can be found at http://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/Labs/weiner/administrative.html ) but instead will describe my personal perspective on what is happening and on how we can accelerate progress in reducing cancer in Iowa and beyond as rapidly as possible.

I intend to blog once or twice each month and to discuss topics that will be of interest to health care professionals and non-professionals alike.

So… I will start out with the big picture.

If we are to accelerate the rate of progress, we need to

• Support advances in the laboratory that are taking place at a remarkable rate and are allowing us to understand cancer at the molecular level
• Grow our portfolio of clinical research trials based on those laboratory advances
• Provide the very best scientifically-based, interdisciplinary, compassionate care to each and every cancer patient
• Work with a broad coalition to encourage behaviors that reduce the risk of cancer
• Better understand how research advances can be applied to the community to reduce the burden of cancer
• Support education of laboratory scientists, clinicians and public health experts dedicated to reducing the burden of cancer
• Communicate and collaborate with a broad range of individuals and groups on current challenges and opportunities to reduce the burden of cancer in our community and beyond

I will touch on specific examples of each of these points in the months ahead, and look forward to your feedback and your suggestions on specific topics to cover.