University of Hawaii Cancer Center

Honolulu, HI. Team Draft will visit the University of Hawaii Cancer Center (UH Cancer Center), and speak with their lung cancer Team about the state of lung cancer on the Hawaiian Islands. UH Cancer Center lung cancer survivor Bridgette Blanch will represent Team Draft at the Pro Bowl on Sunday, January 26th.

The University of Hawaii Cancer Center (UH Cancer Center) was founded in 1981 and became an NCI-designated cancer center in 1996. The Center’s mission is to reduce the burden of cancer through research, education, and outreach, with an emphasis on the unique ethnic, cultural, and environmental characteristics of Hawaii and the Pacific.
Research activities are organized into three interdisciplinary programs: Epidemiology, Cancer Biology, and Cancer Prevention and Control. Experts who participate in the research projects include faculty in the areas of epidemiology, molecular carcinogenesis, cancer treatment, and prevention methodology. UH Cancer Center has recently formed a consortium with the University’s John A. Burns School of Medicine, Queen’s Medical Center, Hawaii Pacific Health, Kuakini Medical Center, and other state hospitals to promote translational research and expand UHCC’s clinical collaborations.

An important aspect of the work of the Center is its outreach to Hawaii’s multiethnic community. This outreach includes education, particularly about prevention, and support programs for cancer survivors. UH Cancer Center makes the results of the latest research available to the local health care and research communities. Partnerships include the University of Guam and the Tripler Army Medical Center.

The Cancer Center serves as the headquarters for one of NCI’s Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Programs. The program provides patients access to clinical trials in the areas of cancer prevention, control, and treatment. Through the UH Cancer Center’s outreach programs, local hospitals and physicians are able to participate in clinical trials in their communities. Through the Center, clinical trials are made available from the major NCI cooperative research groups, including the Southwest Oncology Group, Children’s Oncology Group, Gynecological Oncology Group, and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group.