Winship Wins Renewal

The Winship Cancer Institute, the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)―designated cancer center in Georgia, has had its designation status renewed by the NCI, with a rating of “outstanding.” Just fifty-seven centers nationwide that provide care to adult cancer patients and conduct research hold the designation.

The renewal, which includes $7.5 million in funding to Winship during the next five years, is the result of many factors—including continued advances in lung cancer research, a world-class multiple myeloma program, the Southeast’s largest head and neck cancer research effort, a host of other clinical trials, and a cadre of leading researchers in their fields. The national reviewers particularly noted outstanding science in the area of cancer genetics and cell biology, drug development, and efforts in cancer prevention, as well as Winship’s facilities.

“The designation is not about bragging rights,” says Walter J. Curran Jr., Winship’s executive director. “It’s about a standard of cancer research excellence in clinical, laboratory, and community environments. This designation facilitates our ability to better understand cancer and to work cooperatively with other NCI―designated centers in conducting impactful research.”