Source: Marcia Locke, 785-532-6705, marcia@k-state.edu
Website: http://www.cancer.k-state.edu

Monday, Sept. 13, 2010

JOHNSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTER OFFERS PRESENTATION BY KU'S BARBARA ATKINSON

MANHATTAN -- Cancer research will be the topic of a presentation at Kansas State University by Dr. Barbara Atkinson, executive vice chancellor of the University of Kansas Medical Center and executive dean of the KU School of Medicine.

Atkinson will present "The Future of Cancer Research and Treatment in Kansas" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28, in Forum Hall at the K-State Student Union. The talk, sponsored by K-State's Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research, is free and the public is invited. It is part of the center's George S. Bascom Memorial Workshop Series on Current Issues in Clinical Medicine.

Atkinson has made it a priority for the KU Cancer Center to earn Comprehensive Cancer Center designation by the National Cancer Institute, a designation held by only 40 centers in the country.

Atkinson joined the KU School of Medicine in 2000, was named executive dean in 2002 and became executive vice chancellor in 2005. She was the first woman in the country to hold both positions at a medical center.

She has edited seven books and is best known for those on cytopathology and gynecologic pathology. She is co-editor in chief of the Web-based journal Cytojournal, and is a past president of the American Board of Pathology and a member of many other national boards. She also is a member of President Obama's Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.

The George S. Bascom Memorial Workshop Series on Current Issues in Clinical Medicine was established in 1996 in memory of Bascom, a Manhattan physician, who played a significant role in forming the K-State cancer research center. The center is dedicated to funding basic cancer research and supporting higher education, training and public outreach. Its programs are made possible through private donations. Information is available at http://www.cancer.k-state.edu or by calling 785-532-6705.

Work done by the Johnson Cancer Research Center also plays a role in K-State's goal to become a nationally recognized top 50 public research university by 2025.