A Journey of Exploration

The beginning of spring brings exciting new possibilities to improve the lives of the patients we serve. Driven by our mission of “discovering cures for cancer and inspiring hope,” Winship marches forward, building on its strong trajectory of accomplishments in recent years. In this issue, we hope to take you on a journey of exploration as we showcase exciting new developments in cancer care and research at Winship.

We begin by considering three of the thousands of botanicals—plants, trees and their leaves, bark, flowers, berries and fruit—that have been found to possess positive effects in treating cancer. We look at drugs that have been used to treat common conditions and were repurposed to treat cancer. Alongside the new uses for old drugs, we examine the shortages of some widely used cancer drugs— and how Winship’s pharmaceutical team works to ensure that a steady supply is available for our patients.

Our cover story delves into the quickly evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer research and care. We look inside the “brain” of AI and explore the fascinating and exciting AI-related work under way at Winship that is already revolutionizing important aspects of cancer care.

We were honored in 2023 to receive the five-year renewal from the National Cancer Institute as one of the country’s few NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. We explore in this issue what this special designation means for Winship’s role in helping to fulfill the goals of the National Cancer Plan, the strategy for achieving the nation’s goal of reducing cancer deaths by 50% by the year 2047.

At the heart of everything we do at Winship is providing our patients with the best chance of surviving cancer and thriving. That’s why we feel enormous gratitude when a patient takes the time to share with others about their experience at Winship. In this issue, Keith Sievers shares his dramatic story and equally dramatic outcome thanks to his participation in a clinical trial.

We couldn’t provide the best cancer care without the dedication and passion of our nurses. We are pleased to shine a light on infusion nurse Cicely Lakisha Leufroy in this issue’s “Inspiring Hope” interview.

Our impact would be critically limited without the support of our generous donors. We highlight a Winship patient and donor who chose to contribute toward educating future cancer doctors, nurses and researchers.

Thank you for your interest and support.

With deep appreciation,

Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, FACP, FASCO