Grateful Patient Funds Surgical Oncology Research Fellowship
Jim Contardi was blessed with “a perfectly healthy life” until 2018, when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After a visit to the emergency room at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Contardi was introduced to Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University—and to David Kooby, MD, director of surgical oncology and vice chief of staff at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital.
Our gift won’t cure cancer, but I like to think it’s one small step that can be combined with other small steps.
“This was a scary experience for my wife and me,” Contardi says. “But Dr. Kooby explained all the treatment options, including the surgical procedures. He really helped put us at ease.” His treatment involved complex surgery to remove the cancerous tumor and surrounding tissues. “The surgery was successful, and we are so grateful.”
As Contardi pondered his good fortune, he and his wife, Jana Contardi, began to consider how they could help ensure that other patients with cancer receive the same level of care. “We were so fortunate that Winship, Dr. Kooby and experts like him were available, and I started thinking about what might have happened if there weren’t enough professionals trained in this specific area,” he says.
“Everything I know about health care I learned through this experience,” Contardi says. After discussing it with Kooby, the couple decided to support research. The James and Jana Contardi Surgical Oncology Research Fellowship at Winship Cancer Institute provides targeted research opportunities to young surgeon-scientists interested in treating cancers of the gastrointestinal tract: the pancreas, liver, biliary tract, esophagus, stomach and bowels.
Training takes years
The road to becoming a surgical oncologist is long. Kooby explains that after four years as an undergraduate, he had “four years of medical school, followed by five years of general surgical residency, two years of translational research in a laboratory, and two years of clinical fellowship for specialty training,” Kooby says. “That’s nine years of post-medical school training.” Research fellowships are central to this process.
“Fellowships prepare residents for careers in surgical oncology, but practice-changing research is also vital to the specialty area,” says Charlie Staley, MD, Holland M. Ware Professor of Surgery and Chief, Division of Surgical Oncology at Winship. “This fellowship serves as both a teaching tool and a means to improve patient care. We are constantly striving to improve outcomes, quality of life and survival rates,” he says. This fellowship is an excellent example of how Emory’s mission to pursue research, provide education and deliver superior clinical care works in practice.
According to Kooby, who runs the two-year fellowship, it is designed for two recipients at any given time: a first-year fellow getting started and a second-year fellow who helps train the new person. “These young people develop research interests, give presentations, develop portfolios, learn from mentors within our program and develop their own voices in the scientific community,” Kooby says. “The fellowship gives them opportunities to spend time in a research laboratory, which prepares them for either surgical residencies or other fellowships.”
Additionally, “this fellowship provides opportunities for us to help develop our own junior faculty who are building their own research portfolios. It’s a symbiotic relationship in which junior faculty gain experience while mentoring the Contardi fellows,” Kooby says.
The first Contardi fellow, Pranay Shah Ajay, MD, has completed his fellowship and now holds a surgical residency at Emory. He said the fellowship gave him a deeper understanding of cancer research. “The fellowship further piqued my interest in surgical oncology, and I’m very excited about research possibilities,” Ajay says.
During the two-year fellowship, he presented more than 10 papers at regional, national and international conferences. “Watching other presentations and interacting with leaders in the field was crucial and helped me further hone my skills in presenting data and disseminating my research,” Ajay says.
The fellowship is already helping Emory develop and retain talent, as evidenced by Ajay’s decision to pursue a surgical residency at Emory. “It’s transformative for our specialty area when we receive a gift like the Contardis have provided because it gives us the resources to hire these talented trainees,” Staley says. “We need competitive fellowships that prepare future specialists in this increasingly complex area of patient care.”
Contardi and his wife are happy with their contribution to cancer research. “All of us are guided by our passions, which are shaped by our life experiences,” he says. “Our gift won’t cure cancer, but I like to think it’s one small step that can be combined with other small steps. And the ultimate result could be better treatments and potential cures.”
