seek magazine | summer 2008

Women Unite forBreast CancerResearch

Laura Hutchins, M.D., has

dedicated her career to UAMS.

6

&LEADERSHIP

LEGACYHonoring our

Former Directors

2 seek Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits

contents 16

20

18

Women Unite for

Breast Cancer

Research

Laura Hutchins, M.D., has

dedicated her career to UAMS.

Page 16

&LEADERSHIP

LEGACYHonoring our

Former Directors

“It was luck of the draw that I was fortunate enough to be born a Rockefeller. But with that comes the additional obligation, or I should say opportunity, to do some good.”

Winthrop P. Rockefeller 1948-2006

Cover photo by Johnpaul Jones

in every issueFrom the Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Cancer Institute looks to the future and remembers the past.

Medicine Bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Southern Living Idea House New board members Village Walk for Cancer Research Leukemia and Lymphoma Symposium Auxiliary grants

Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 After battling stage 3 oral cancer, Phil McCarty is back in the swing.

Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Patients and employees provide input into the Cancer Institute’s expansion.

Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Lymphoma Proclamation Cheeseburger in Paradise

SUMMER 2008

4 8

12

16

10

18

featuresTHE MEN BEHIND THE CURTAIN Campaign honors three former Cancer Institute directors.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Thousands of women impact breast cancer research through Spit for the Cure.

REMEMBERING RYAN The loss of a loved one spurs friends and family to continue pursuing his dream.

LEAN ON ME For people living with cancer, it’s the little things that matter most.

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD From medical student to director of Hematology/ Oncology, Laura Hutchins, M.D., has devoted her entire career to UAMS.

CARD-CARRYING MEMBERS Shoppers get ready. Partners Card week is just around the corner.

2 seek Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute seek 3

IseekSUMMER 2008

Editor Susan Van Dusen

Art Director Laurie Shell

Managing Editor Liz Caldwell

Writers Liz Caldwell, Nate Hinkel, Jon Parham, David Robinson, Susan Van Dusen

Creative Director Keith Runkle

Photographer Johnpaul Jones

Production Manager Angi McDaniel

Database Manager Kelly Pollnow

Executive DirectorWinthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Peter D. Emanuel, M.D.

ChancellorUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences I. Dodd Wilson, M.D.

Vice Chancellor of Communications & Marketing Pat Torvestad

Associate Vice Chancellor of Communications & Marketing Leslie Taylor

Seek is published quarterly for the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute by the Office of Communications & Marketing at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham St. #890, Little Rock, AR 72205-7199; phone (501) 686-5686; Fax (501) 686-6020.

director’s letter

I HAVE OFTEN HEARD IT SAID that as you imagine and envision your future, it is important to look back and remember your past. We are doing just that with this year’s Gala for Life as well as with a new campaign that will run through June 2009. Both are honoring the three previous directors of the Cancer Institute — the visionary men who brought us to where we are today! And it’s truly wonderful that all three are still very active cancer physicians. You can read further about the Leadership & Legacy campaign in this, the third issue of Seek. Also in this issue is a profile of one of the unsung heroes on the UAMS campus, Laura Hutchins. Though Dr. Hutchins does not seek the limelight or the fanfare, she is the consummate cancer physician and has cared for countless friends and loved ones from across Arkansas during her lifelong UAMS career. This issue of Seek also highlights our Spit for the Cure research project. While the title may raise eyebrows, this project is truly innovative and has already received national attention. The major aim of the project is to define genetic risk factors in Arkansas’ women for the development of breast cancer and/or their eventual responsiveness to therapy. To accomplish this we need to collect saliva samples from about 40,000 Arkansas women. We can now isolate DNA from saliva! Taking this snapshot representative sample will allow us to make predictions about breast cancer across broad populations and is truly revolutionary. As I complete my first year as your new director, I want everyone to take note of the Ryan Gibson Foundation, which we feature on Page 10. The first event I officially attended as I came on board last year was the foundation’s One Particular Harbor, which raises money for leukemia research. Ryan Gibson was a medical student who aspired to cure his own leukemia. Though Ryan lost his battle, his college friends and family picked up the torch and will not allow it to dim! We can all learn from their tenacity in fighting the fight against cancer.

Peter D. Emanuel, M.D.Director, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute


TheMenBehind

TheCurTain

THREEfoRMER CanCerInstItutedIreCtorsHAvE foREvER SHAPED THE STATE of CanCer Care In arkansas.

By SUSAn vAn DUSEn

T They are three men with a single purpose: to make cancer a thing of the past. While their strategies may vary, their dedication to this goal has forever impacted the face of health care in Arkansas. To honor these three physicians and former Cancer Institute directors — Kent Westbrook, M.D.; James Y. Suen, M.D.; and Bart Barlogie, M.D., Ph.D. — the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute has established Leadership & Legacy, a campaign benefiting the future of cancer research and treatment in Arkansas. “The Cancer Institute certainly wouldn’t be what it is today without the leadership and determination of these three men who have dedicated their lives to improving and extending the lives of others,” said Peter Emanuel, M.D., Cancer Institute director. “Now it’s our time to give something back to them.”


The Leadership & Legacy Campaign honors former Cancer Institute directors (left to right) Kent Westbrook, M.D.; Bart Barlogie, M.D., Ph.D.; and James Y. Suen, M.D.


Humble Beginnings The idea that sparked the formation of the Cancer Institute took shape in the early 1970s between colleagues Westbrook and Suen. During fellowships at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston — Westbrook in surgical oncology and Suen in head and neck surgery — the doctors saw the need for patients to receive comprehensive cancer care close to home. They also realized that this was lacking in their home state of Arkansas. “What we saw at M.D. Anderson was the concept of all the specialties working

Leaving a LegaCy

“We are on the verge of becoming a major national and international cancer institute.”

The Leadership & Legacy Campaign was established to honor former Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute directors Kent Westbrook, M.D.; Bart Barlogie, M.D., Ph.D.; and James y. Suen, M.D. Donations of any amount are welcome, and donors of $5,000 or more will be permanently recognized in the Cancer Institute expansion. All donations are eligible for a match by the state of Arkansas. To participate, contact Rachelle Sanders, director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute foundation, at (501) 296-1504, Ext. 1642, or [email protected].

together,” Westbrook said. “The idea of a multidisciplinary approach to cancer was really appealing.” Together they began to develop the cancer program at UAMS. For about the next decade, the two doctors worked to establish multidisciplinary programs, with Suen focused on his specialty of head and neck surgery and Westbrookon surgical oncology. Suen has served as chairman of the UAMS Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery for 33 years, while Westbrook has moved from chief resident at UAMS in 1969 to distinguished professor today. “We could have gone anywhere and set up a cancer center, but we really believed in

the importance of being at an academic institution like UAMS,” said Westbrook. In 1984, they got the go-ahead from former UAMS chancellor the late Harry Ward, M.D., to formalize their plans for a cancer institute, then called the Arkansas Cancer Research Center. Westbrook took on the role of founding director, a position he held for 14 years. The first four floors of the Walker Tower opened in 1989, with half the space dedicated to research and half to patient care. An additional seven floors were added in 1996, and a 12-story expansion is set to open in 2010. “We are on the verge of becoming a major national and international cancer institute,” said Suen, who was Cancer Institute director from 2001-2007. “The new building will give us the chance to have a major impact on cancer research and treatment.”

Continued Growth The same year the Cancer Institute opened its doors, another cancer pioneer was arriving in Arkansas. Bart Barlogie, M.D., Ph.D., was inspired to concentrate his career on what he calls the

“orphan disease” of multiple myeloma in the early 1980s. At that time few other clinician-scientists had focused on myeloma, a cancer of theplasma cells. Barlogie’s vision for a comprehensive myeloma program began to take shape at UAMS after he arrived in 1989. It has since developed into the Myeloma Institute for Research and Treatment, which has more than doubled the annual survival rate of myeloma patients upon diagnosis from three years to seven years and beyond. “My dream is for myeloma research and therapy to be forever connected with UAMS, long after I retire,” Barlogie said. “For this to happen, resources need to be available to attract the brightest in the field to our community. “We are squeezed for space and resources. We hope that more space will foster invaluable interaction between scientists and clinical faculty and fellows,”said Barlogie, who served as Cancer Institute director from 1998-2001.


KenT WesTBrooK, M.d.

1965Graduated first in his class from the UAMS College of Medicine

1969-present Faculty member at UAMS

1984-1998 Director of Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

1992-2003 Chief of the UAMS Division of Surgical Oncology

2000 Received the Citation of Distinguished Alumni from the University of Arkansas Alumni Association 2000 Received Distinguished Service Award from the UAMS College of Medicine 2003 Named distinguished professor in the UAMS Department of Surgery

BarT BarLogie, M.d., Ph.d.

1969 Graduated from Heidelberg University Medical School

1970 Received doctorate from Max-Planck Institute for Medical Research

1976-1989 Faculty member at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

1989-present Faculty member at UAMS

1998 Received Distinguished Alumnus Award from M.D. Anderson


2001-present Director of UAMS Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy

2006 Named a National Physician of the Year by the organization responsible for the annual America’s Top Doctors publication

JaMes y. suen, M.d.

1966 Graduated from the UAMS College of Medicine

1967-1969 Captain in the U.S. Air Force stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D.

1974-presentFaculty member at UAMS

1976-present Chairman of the UAMS Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

1995Received Distinguished Alumnus Award from M.D. Anderson

1996 Invested as inaugural recipient of the James Y. Suen, M.D., Chair in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery



a lIttle salIva fRoM a lot of women IS ExPECTED To Go a long way ToWARD REDUCInG THE RISK foR breast CanCer.

By LIz CALDWELL

Susan Kadlubar, Ph.D., holds one of the vials used to collect the saliva samples.


I IT WAS 2 A.M. WHEN INSPIRATION HIT THEM. The UAMS breast cancer surgeon and pharmacogenomics researcher had just finished an oncology meeting. Neither wanted to spend another night on the road, so they elected to hop the last flight from Chicago to Memphis, then rent a car and drive to Little Rock. During that two-hour drive, Susan Kadlubar, Ph.D., professor of environmental and occupational health in the UAMS College of Public Health, and V. Suzanne Klimberg, M.D., director of the breast cancer program at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, chatted about the difficulty of getting enough subjects enrolled for human population studies. These were usually done through random phone dialing, but with caller I.D., people were less inclined to answer calls from an unknown number. “What about Race for the Cure?” Kadlubar asked Klimberg. Thousands of women from across the state participate in the Komen Race for the Cure held each fall in Little Rock. Klimberg, who is on the Komen Board, championed it to her fellow board members. “From there it was serendipity, or divine intervention, all the way,” Kadlubar said. At first the thought was to take blood samples, but that is expensive and time consuming, even with a ready-made gathering of thousands of women. Kadlubar knew other studies had used saliva samples, and Spit for the Cure was born.

The research study at UAMS is designed to establish one of the largest and most rapidly assembled groups of women to aid in the study of breast cancer occurrence. Spit for the Cure involves the collection of saliva samples from thousands of women that are used to create a DNA database for future studies related to breast cancer risk and treatment. “We wanted biological specimens to look at genetic variability combined with

behavioral and environmental

influences,” Kadlubar

said.

hopes to have 10,000 by the end of the year, and add another 10,000 a year. “What really made this happen was the response of the women. Every woman who gives a sample is truly a partner in the fight against breast cancer,” Kadlubar said. The moniker Spit for the Cure started as an inside joke, but after pondering it, neither she nor Komen officials could think of another quite as catchy or appropriate. Initial funding of about $140,000 has been provided by the Cancer Institute. Kadlubar and Klimberg have applied for external funding on a national level and envision the project spreading throughout the region. “This is a tremendous lesson about how research scientists, clinicians and community advocates can come together and make

something happen,” Kadlubar said. “None of this would

have happened without Dr. Klimberg and

the local Komen affiliate.”

“Science now has the technology and capability to examine large sets of data to identify true risk factors.” More than 5,000 samples have been collected since the kick off at the 2007 Komen Race for the Cure in Little Rock with the help of study director Kristy Bondurant, Ph.D. Kadlubar

Etc. Any woman age 18 or older can participate in Spit for the Cure.


Remembering Ryan ryan gIbson HoPED SoMEDAy To fInD A Cure for leukemIa. SEvEn yEARS AfTER HIS DEATH, HIS frIends and famIly keep that dream alIve.

By DAvID RoBInSon


Don Gibson (left) and his son, Derek, host two fundraisers, including one called Cheeseburger in Paradise, in memory of their son and brother.


R RYAN GIBSON WAS A PROMISING MEDICAL STUDENT in 2001 who dreamed of finding a cure for the leukemia he was fighting. Gibson’s dream might have ended with his death that winter, but his spirit shone so brightly that the work toward a cure continues today through the Ryan Gibson Foundation created in his honor. “When Ryan was in medical school he wrote in his essays that he wanted to be the doctor who would find a treatment for leukemia that would be less severe than the bone marrow transplant he received,” said Ryan’s father, Don Gibson of Springdale. Ryan had won his battle with cancer, but his bone marrow transplant wrecked his immune system, and a bacterial infection took his life.

beach party-themed fundraiser was inspired by the Jimmy Buffett song of the same name and Ryan’s love of the singer’s music. A smaller event, Cheeseburger in Paradise, is held prior to One Particular Harbor each year and also supports the foundation. Don, a member of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Foundation Board, continues to be impressed by the foundation’s success. “I knew these young men were full of good intentions, but I never dreamed they would have the tenacity to stay with the task as they have.” The foundation provides support for UAMS’ leukemia research program at the Cancer Institute. Last year it contributed $50,000 to establish the Ryan Gibson Leukemia Research Laboratory and will contribute a like amount this year. Both amounts are being matched dollar for dollar by the state. Two years ago, the foundation donated $40,000 to UAMS. “It’s critically important for UAMS to have a premier cancer research and treatment center here in Arkansas,” Don said. “Our family knows how difficult it is to be totally uprooted to go find the best hope someplace else.”

Redneck Tailgate Sure to be one of the hottest tickets in Northwest Arkansas, the second annual Redneck Tailgate will be held Oct. 24, the night before the Ole Miss Rebels take the field against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The $75 tickets will cover all you can eat, plus drinks, starting at 7 p.m. at the Pratt Place Barn near Razorback Stadium. Live music will be provided by Emily Mesko Knight and Big Smith. Proceeds will benefit the Cancer Institute.

For more information, contact Chris Beavers at (479) 251-1857.

“I never dreamed they would have the tenacity to stay with the task as they have.”

Remembering Ryan ryan gIbson HoPED SoMEDAy To fInD A Cure for leukemIa. SEvEn yEARS AfTER HIS DEATH, HIS frIends and famIly keep that dream alIve.

By DAvID RoBInSon

After Ryan’s death, Scott Harmeling, his best friend and fraternity brother at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, approached the Gibson family about establishing a foundation that would support leukemia research. The Gibson family joined the effort, which included many of Ryan’s friends and fraternity brothers, and

the Ryan Gibson Foundation was born. Since then, more than $500,000 has been contributed to leukemia research at institutions across the country. Its premier annual fundraising event is in

Fayetteville and has raised more than $100,000 each of the last two years. Called One Particular Harbor, the

Etc. Based in Dallas, the Ryan Gibson Foundation has chapters in Arkansas, Denver, Austin, Houston, South Texas and Kansas City. More information is available at www.trgf.org.

seek 11


Lean on MeSAyInG AnD DoInG the rIght thIngs AT the rIght tImes MAKES A DIffEREnCE foR people experIenCIng CanCer.

By nATE HInKEL


S Togetherness “A group of ladies from my church got together and planned a big tea party, with everyone wearing hats and the whole nine yards. It meant so much to have a big group together that did all of the planning and organizing just for me. And after cancer treatment and having no hair, wearing hats was definitely a doable thing!”

Chelsea Chandler, 38, Hot Springs, diagnosed August 2006

Attitude “To me, one of the most important things was the positive attitude of those caring for me — from doctors to nurses to my family. Just being surrounded by people who had a positive attitude is probably the single-most important thing that kept me going.”

Jan Phillips, 64, Fort Smith, diagnosed December 2005

Thoughtfulness “I have a close friend who writes down all of my doctors and chemo appointments in a calendar and remembers to call and check up on me following every single one.”

Alisa Douglas, 40, Fort Smith, diagnosed April 2008

Strength “My granddaughter, Mary, said to me, ‘What God brings us to, he’ll bring us through,’ and that really stuck with me. I was quite impressed to hear something so fitting from a 13 year old.”

Ray Jenks, 78, Livonia, Mich., diagnosed May 2002

Praise “Any positive words of encouragement or praise meant a lot to me. Praise does something good for a person and it makes you want to push yourself and do well. Words of encouragement always kept me positive.”Kris Sivertson, 57, Jackson, Mich., diagnosed December 1999

Sometimes an effort to put your best foot forward results in a mouth full of shoe. That can certainly be the case when grasping for the right words to say to a loved one who is undergoing treatment for cancer. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, while it might seem that the perfect words are the only thing that’ll do the trick, in most cases it’s the small things that mean the most to cancer patients. Whether it’s an offer to chauffer their kids for a day or shooting the breeze in a lighthearted chat, cancer patients say they don’t always expect profound words of wisdom from loved ones. “On my worst days I wasn’t looking for someone to come in and magically change my fortune with their words,” said Jan Phillips, a breast cancer survivor who was treated at

UAMS. “As far as words of wisdom, someone coming in and just treating me like normal was often more comforting than hearing things like, ‘you’ll pull through’ or ‘you’re in my thoughts and prayers.’ That’s nice to hear, but

sometimes you need to feel the normalcy of your ordinary relationships.” Experts agree. Allen Sherman, Ph.D., director of Behavioral Medicine and associate professor of otolaryngology at the Cancer Institute, said finding a way to connect with a cancer patient, in whatever form, works wonders. “Cancer can be a terribly isolating experience, so connections with others are invaluable,” Sherman said. “Support and encouragement are clearly important for patients struggling with the challenges of cancer. Considerable evidence suggests that patients with high levels of social support or strong ties with others experience better quality of life and well-being.” It’s usually better just to listen than to offer artificial reassurance, Sherman said. And if you don’t know what to say or what you can do to help, he added, “Just ask; the best expert is the cancer patient.”

“Sometimes you need to feel the normalcy of your ordinary relationships.”


MedicineBagC A N C E R I N S T I T U T E N E W S

Attending the ceremony were

(left to right) Debbie and Ray Dillon, Louis

Cella, Carla and Ben Emanuel, and

D. Wayne Lukas.

Education Opportunity Health care professionals are invited to attend

the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

Symposium on Leukemia and Lymphoma on

Sept. 19 in the Cancer Institute’s Sam

Walton Auditorium.

The symposium will include a

comprehensive review of leukemia

and lymphoma treatments, with

presentations by UAMS faculty

members peter emanuel, m.d.,

Cancer Institute director; anne-marIe

maddox, m.d., professor of medicine; and

robert lorsbaCh, m.d., ph.d., director

of hematopathology, as well as invited speakers.

for information, contact LaSondra Hunt

in the Cancer Institute’s ottenheimer

Education Center at

(501) 686-5578.

The Winner’s Circle at oaklawn

Park in Hot Springs was the setting

for a recent check presentation

benefiting the Cancer Institute.

Ray Dillon, president and CEo

of Deltic Timber Corporation,

presented the $5,000 donation

to Louis Cella, former chairman of the

Cancer Institute foundation fund Board.

Also representing UAMS at the ceremony were

Carla emanuel, wife of Cancer Institute director

Peter Emanuel, M.D., and John blohm,

UAMS vice chancellor for development and

alumni affairs.

The donation represented a portion of the

proceeds from the 2007 Southern Living Idea House

located at Red oak Ridge in Hot Springs. The

Deltic Timber development and Hot Springs

were chosen as one of only three national

sites for the 2007 Idea House program.

Sept. 19, 2008


new board members Seven new members were recently elected to the board of directors of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute foundation fund. The new members are JImmy moses, CIndy murphy, kelly harbert, Judy tenenbaum, bIshop steven arnold and Jeff fox, all of Little Rock, and sean rommel of Texarkana. Members are selected for three-year terms and may serve up to four terms total.

Patient Support Sixteen patient support programs have been awarded grants totaling $102,470 from the Cancer Institute Auxiliary. The grants represent proceeds from the auxiliary’s two fundraising events — Cooks Tour and Partners Card — and the auxiliary-run Cancer Institute Gift Shop. In addition to programs at the Cancer Institute, two fayetteville-based organizations also were presented grants — the Cancer Support Home for its prosthesis and wig boutique and HoPE, Inc., for its emergency assistance program. The Cancer Institute Auxiliary has more than 500 members. About 100 members provide day-to-day patient support services such as greeting guests, making coffee in the waiting rooms and working in the gift shop. About 300 additional auxiliary members participate in fundraising events throughout the year. Auxiliary officers for 2008-2009 are martha ChIsenhall, president; dIana smIthson, vice president; paula JennIngs, recording secretary; marCIa darr, corresponding secretary; and robbIe mays, treasurer, all of Little Rock.

Support for the Cancer Institute is strong in Hot Springs village, where residents work year round to raise money for research and the building expansion. In May, children from Mountainside Church raised $1,750 at a carwash and through donations by church members. following that event, church leaders challenged other congregations in the community to follow suit by conducting their own fundraising events. on Sept. 13, the village Walk for Cancer will be held starting at 7:30 a.m. at Cortez Pavilion. one hundred percent of proceeds will benefit the Cancer Institute expansion and will be matched by the state of Arkansas. To participate, contact Claire Macneill at (501) 922-3642.

The Winner’s Circle at oaklawn

Park in Hot Springs was the setting

for a recent check presentation

benefiting the Cancer Institute.

Ray Dillon, president and CEo

of Deltic Timber Corporation,

presented the $5,000 donation

to Louis Cella, former chairman of the

Cancer Institute foundation fund Board.

Also representing UAMS at the ceremony were

Carla emanuel, wife of Cancer Institute director

Peter Emanuel, M.D., and John blohm,

UAMS vice chancellor for development and

alumni affairs.

The donation represented a portion of the

proceeds from the 2007 Southern Living Idea House

located at Red oak Ridge in Hot Springs. The

Deltic Timber development and Hot Springs

were chosen as one of only three national

sites for the 2007 Idea House program.

Auxiliary officers include (left to right) Martha Chisenhall,

Diana Smithson, Paula Jennings and Robbie Mays. Lending a Hand

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute seek 15


T TIMES WERE DIFFERENT — and so were expectations for women — when Laura Hutchins was coming of age on her family’s dairy farm in northeastern Mississippi. The oldest of six children, Hutchins was expected to get a full-time job when she graduated from high school in 1970. Ultimately, it was the emphasis on getting a job that led to Hutchins’ esteemed medical career at UAMS. With start of summer following her graduation, her mother delved into the classifieds, and Hutchins picked out one of the few available jobs — at the local hospital. “I loved working in the lab,” said Hutchins, who took night classes and was tutored by hospital pathologists to learn her job. “I decided that I would be a med tech because it beat the heck out of cleaning barns and milking cows.” With persistent encouragement from her medical technologist friends, Hutchins decided to try for medical school. When it was time to apply in 1973, Ole Miss warned that if she married her boyfriend (now husband, Steve Hutchins, M.D.) who had moved to Crossett, she would be considered an out-of-state student and no longer eligible for its medical school. She applied at UAMS and visited Little Rock, which was reminiscent of the hilly New Jersey landscape her family left when she was 10. “I immediately liked it,” she said. Hutchins was accepted to UAMS, but only if she married an Arkansas resident. She and Steve moved up their wedding plans, and he also became a UAMS medical school student a year later. “It was a different era,” she laughed. “My husband jokes with everybody that we had to get married.”

While her husband fulfilled his lengthy cardiology education requirements, Hutchins polished her résumé with a hematology/oncology fellowship. About that time, they had started a family, and when she was offered a faculty position at UAMS, she took it. “We never thought we’d stay, but one thing led to another and we’re still here,” she said. During the last 30 years, she has treated thousands of cancer patients with a focus on breast cancer, melanoma, and more recently, brain cancer.

Her most prominent patient was former President Bill Clinton’s mother, who died of complications from breast cancer in 1994. In 2007, Hutchins became the inaugural

recipient of the Virginia Clinton Kelley Endowed Chair in Clinical and Breast Cancer Research at UAMS. The endowed chair, established with more than $1 million in contributions, allows her to continue her breast cancer-related research. As the Hematology/Oncology Division director, Hutchins oversees a prestigious fellowship program for doctors who wish to become a hematologist/oncologist. The three-year program has nine fellows, and this year 300 doctors from around the world applied for UAMS’ three available spots. Throughout her UAMS career, Hutchins has remained dedicated to helping UAMS and the Cancer Institute grow. “The good news is that a leukemia/lymphoma program is being established here,” she said. “That will help us meet our increasing patient demand.”

Etc. Laura Hutchins, M.D., has received numerous awards, including the UAMS 2003 Outstanding Woman Faculty Award.

“My husband jokes with everybody that we had to get married.”

To Have To HoldBy DAvID RoBInSon


BEfoRE SHE CoULD EnTER MED SCHooL,laura hutChIns HAD To MAKE a trIp down the aIsle.. MoRE THAn 30 yEARS LATER, she remaIns marrIed — BoTH To HER HUSBAnD AnD UAMS.

By DAvID RoBInSon

Laura Hutchins, M.D., reminisces at her home in Little Rock.


Card-Carrying

MeMbersBy Jon PARHAM

partners Card GIvES shoppers a boost WHILE ALSo helpIng CanCer patIents.

18 seek Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute seek 19 Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute seek 19

Card-Carrying

MeMbers Etc. Paula Jennings was recognized in 2000 as the auxiliary’s volunteer of the year.

Y YOU KNOW PAULA JENNINGS is getting her shopping lists together. For the fifth year, the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Auxiliary is teaming with some 200 merchants in central and northwest Arkansas to offer merchandise discounts with the Partners Card. The Partners Card is one of the auxiliary’s most successful fundraisers, generating $358,000 to date for projects directly benefiting patients. For nine days — between Oct. 25 and Nov. 2 — shoppers

who purchase the $50 cards receive a 20 percent

discount on regularly priced merchandise

at dozens of their favorite stores,

saving money on clothes,

furniture, fresh

flowers, jewelry, toys and many more items. Jennings said she loves to shop and is one of those who usually keep a shopping list. “There’s always a birthday or a wedding or some occasion when I’ll need to buy a gift, making the Partners Card a big help,” Jennings said. “There are so many great participating merchants, you can get almost anything. It’s also the perfect time to shop for the holiday season.” The card can be purchased starting in September online at www.uams.edu/partnerscard, at many of the participating stores or by phone through the Cancer Institute Volunteer Services at (501) 686-8286. Jennings has been a Cancer Institute volunteer since 1996 and a member of the Partners Card committee since its inception. She loves the card because it benefits everyone involved. The auxiliary raises money from card sales, which funds a list of projects to help Cancer Institute patients. Shoppers benefit from the merchandise discounts. The participating merchants see an increase in customer traffic. Jennings pointed to a long list of programs the auxiliary has been able to support thanks to the Partners Card. From the UAMS Family Home, where patients and their families can stay, to grants for patient education and assistance programs, Partners Card funds have provided a boost. Proceeds also fund equipment — such as part

of the cost of a new digital mammography unit — and programs including free cancer screenings. “When you see the wig program that provides free wigs to each new female patient who is losing her hair, it’s just one example of how important the Partners Card is,” Jennings said. “If we weren’t able to support programs like that through our fundraising, I don’t know if they’d be available.” The card came about when the auxiliary wanted another fundraising project that would allow it to fund more of the many grant requests it received. It was modeled on a similar program in Dallas. Jennings compiles the Partners Card directory, an exhaustive guide to all participating merchants. It includes information on available merchandise. She credited Ginger Wilson, wife of UAMS chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, M.D., with recruiting her to the auxiliary after her husband became chairman of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in the UAMS College of Medicine. “All of us have been touched by cancer, whether through family or friends, and the Cancer Institute Auxiliary is a great group of women who are very committed to helping the institute’s patients,” said Jennings, who also edits the auxiliary’s Spotlight magazine and is a member of the UAMS Medical Center Auxiliary.


oral CanCersurvIvor SAySIT HAS To getworse BEfoRE IT gets better.

Cancer free for eight years, Little Rock businessman Phil McCarty is an outspoken supporter of the Cancer Institute.


alcohol, McCarty thought there was no chance a series of ear, throat and head pains were side effects of oral cancer.

McCarty’s 6-foot frame shrunk to a paltry 135 pounds. The drastic weight loss and the obvious physical changes that come along with it were often dramatic for friends and family. “I play a lot of tennis and there were days when I’d go by to stand at the fence and watch,” McCarty said. “Oftentimes people I knew or usually played with wouldn’t even recognize me.” After eight years cancer free, he’s back up to a healthy 185 pounds and serving up aces several days a week on the tennis court. “To have world-class treatment five minutes from my backdoor right here in Little Rock no doubt gave me a second lease on life,” he said. McCarty reflects so positively on his experience, that he gladly volunteers his time for speaking engagements relaying the story of his survival and the role that the Cancer Institute played in it. “If I could give one piece of advice, it’d be to listen to your body,” McCarty said. “Mine was telling me for six months that something wasn’t right. Thanks to Dr. Suen and the care of his staff, I’m able to relay my story of hope.”

After an original diagnosis, he was pointed to James Y. Suen, M.D., chairman of the UAMS Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, for a second opinion. Suen began aggressive treatment that included 38 rounds of radiation and four weeks of inpatient chemotherapy. Because the cancer was located in the back of the throat near the base of McCarty’s tongue, his treatment was especially challenging. “I refer to my months of treatment as my ‘dark days,’ but without that challenge there would be no hope for recovery,” McCarty said. Before treatment, he weighed in at 205 pounds. As a result of living off a feeding tube for nearly eight months,

oral CanCersurvIvor SAySIT HAS To getworse BEfoRE IT gets better.

DE T o U R I n G T H E

profile

C Changing up the lyrics to one of the signature records of the late 1960s folk movement should come with serious consequence. But as far as Phil McCarty, a stage 3 oral cancer survivor, is concerned, Simon & Garfunkel got it all wrong. “When it comes to cancer, there’s an ocean of troubled water you have to swim through to make it safely to the other bank,” McCarty said. “You can’t just put up a ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ like the old song says, without having muddled through the hard part.” So Paul Simon will just have to excuse McCarty’s take on the lyrics he penned to the folk duo’s optimistic swan song. Following his sudden oral cancer diagnosis in April 2000, McCarty didn’t have the luxury of opting to travel a bridge safely above those dark days. In retrospect, however, he says the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute was the boat that ushered him through. “When you’re diagnosed with cancer, it comes down to two things, really,” McCarty said. “You need hope and you need healing, and both of those were given to me at the Cancer Institute.” Never a tobacco user and not someone who abused


A Passion for THE DETAILS

WHEn DESIGnInG the CanCer InstItute expansIon, ARCHITECTS

LooKED foR HELPfRoM those who

know It best.

By Jon PARHAM

22 seek Looking Beyond Cancer’s Limits Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute seek 23 Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute seek 23

Privacy and natural light Duvalian said the design for the new infusion area will allow patients some control over the level of interaction they want through curtains. The patients also will be separated by walls that are half solid and half glass, promoting natural light while allowing some privacy from others. “A caregiver suggested adding an electrical outlet to allow patients or caregivers to use their laptop computers, since in some cases treatment

“If you create a space that promotes a positive state of mind and reduces stress, you enhance healing.”

D Down to furniture position and the location of electrical outlets, the design of the Cancer Institute expansion is the result of input not only from architects and staff but also patients. Through the design process, planners for the 12-floor expansion drew on feedback from those who will work there and those who were treated in the existing facility. Hrand Duvalian of Cromwell Architects Engineers, lead architect for the project, said that feedback was crucial. “From the patient’s point of view, it’s very much about the healing process. If you create a space that promotes a positive state of mind and reduces stress, you enhance healing,” Duvalian said. “From the staff’s perspective, a more efficient space increases productivity and allows more work to be done in the sameamount of time.” Ralph Rose, a four-year survivor of multiple myeloma, agreed, adding that he was honored to be asked to sit on a committee to offer feedback on design elements. “We as patients are stakeholders in this

process,” said Rose, who retired from the Army following his diagnosis and

moved to Little Rock to be treated at the Myeloma Institute for

Research and Therapy. “If a patient doesn’t feel comfortable, when they

have the opportunity, they will go somewhere else.”

Added Yvonne McDonald, a Cancer Institute employee and nearly 10-year

breast cancer survivor, “If you’re more comfortable with your surroundings, you’ll

heal better and not dread the process and the treatments.”

Comfort can mean different things to different patients, Duvalian noted, adding that privacy was a major issue concerning the infusion rooms, where patients go for chemotherapy. “Some patients really want privacy while being treated, while others like to be able to see and visit with other patients,” he said. “We wanted to find a way to accommodate both.”

may last a few hours,” Duvalian said. “That is something we hadn’t thought of.” Duvalian said planners realized early on that it would be hard for employees to understand the scope of the project from just lines on paper. So in May, four “mock-up” infusion pods were set up in the Cancer Institute. Employees were invited to check out the designs of the infusion area as well as a mock-up of an exam room. Nurses initially expressed a preference for mobile furniture, allowing them to move cabinets or other pieces around as needed in each patient area. When they saw the mock-ups, he said, more liked the built-in cabinets for cleanliness of appearance. u


A larger exam room When it came time to design the exam rooms, Duvalian said the planners thought about how the different users of the room would move around. Whether it was the patient, doctor, nurse or family member, thought was given to

what part of the room they would be in and

what they would need. Exam rooms will

be larger, in part because of the plans to bring the physicians and

specialists to the patient, rather than having the patient go to different places on campus during an exam. There will be a privacy curtain, allowing a patient to change comfortably, along with a mirror and a place to hang

their clothes. Again, the architect said, the focus was on comfort

for patients and efficiency for staff. A U-shaped table has been added

to allow physicians to have a consultation in the room. From a computer, the physician can call up x-rays or test results. From initial designs and the use of models to the full-scale mock-ups, Duvalian said the feedback from patients, nurses, physicians and caregivers was useful. Those who took part in the process were excited about the future. “When I saw the designs, it validated my thoughts, since many of the design elements were already there,” Rose said. “They’ve done a wonderful job opening up spaces and incorporating natural light in the infusion areas, making it a warmer, more natural place.”

Expansion Topping Out Set for September

Construction of the 300,000-square-foot Cancer Institute expansion will reach its highest point on Sept. 26, to be celebrated in a traditional “topping out” ceremony. Friends of the Cancer Institute are invited to participate in the 10 a.m. ceremony, which will take place on top of the UAMS Outpatient Center parking deck adjacent to the construction site. A 14-story crane was set up in late May and began the piece-by-piece, round-the-clock work of raising steel beams into the air. Workers guided each new piece into place, while employees, patients and visitors watched the building’s frame take shape from the windows of the sky bridge leading from the hospital to the Cancer Institute. A ceremonial white beam will be available for employees and Cancer Institute supporters to sign prior to the event. It will be hoisted to the top of the expansion as part of the topping out ceremony.

Etc. Cancer Institute staff and architects toured three cancer centers across the country to study design elements.



spotlight

Who: Gov. Mike Beebe; Bill Mathis, Arkansas chapter president of the Lymphoma Research Foundation; Cancer Institute director Peter Emanuel, M.D.; and state Reps. Gregg Reep of Warren and Monty Davenport of Yellville

What: Supporters of lymphoma awareness met for a proclamation they hope will help fight the blood cancer.

When: June 18, 2008

Where: State Capitol

Why: The need for the proclamation was started by Mathis, whose wife, Mona, was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2005 and died in 2006. With the help of state Reps. Reep, Davenport and Kathy Webb of Little Rock, the proclamation was passed.

Lymphoma is the most prevalent form of blood cancer, attacking the body’s lymphatic system, which helps fight disease and infection. There are two types of lymphoma, Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s.

Lymphoma Awareness Proclamation

Bill Mathis and Gov. Mike Beebe

Rep. Monty Davenport, Bill Mathis and Rep. Gregg Reep

Lymphoma survivor Lonenetta Hemingway

Gov. Mike Beebe (center), UAMS staff members, Lymphoma Research Foundation members and other supporters


Who: Don and Carol Lynn Gibson; Derek and Jennifer Gibson; and friends of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

What: Cheeseburger in Paradise, the annual fundraiser hosted by the Ryan Gibson Foundation, served as an opportunity for supporters and patients of the Cancer Institute to meet with one another. The event featured live music by Union Reaux and food prepared by Susie Stephens.

When: May 15, 2008

Where: George’s Majestic in Fayetteville

Why: Don, Carol Lynn and Derek Gibson, board members of the Ryan Gibson Foundation, organized the event as a pre-event to their larger fundraiser, One Particular Harbor, held in July. The event was to raise money for leukemia research at the Cancer Institute. Peter Emanuel, M.D., Cancer Institute director, attended to meet with patients and supporters.

Read more about the Ryan Gibson Foundation on Page 10.

Cheeseburger in Paradise

Jullie Roblee, Derek Gibson and Merry Lee Phillips

Karen Roberts, Richie Roberts and Gloria Redman

Don Gibson; Peter Emanuel, M.D.; Kathy Suen and Terry Suen


spotlight

Cheeseburger in Paradise

Kyle and Gilda Underwood Dick and Nancy Trammell

Robbin Rogers, Casey Rogers, Christian Baldwin, Mark Emerson and Brad Harvey

Mary Frances Daut, M.D.; Jennifer Gibson; and TaRennah Manning

NONPROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDLITTLE ROCK, ARPERMIT NO. 1973

4301 W. Markham St., #623Little Rock, AR 72205

Health Notes: Oral Cancer

Ninety percent of people who develop oral cancer either smoke, use

smokeless tobacco or both.

In its early stages, oral cancer can appear similar to a canker sore, often

without pain or other symptoms.

More than 34,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal

cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

About 75 percent of people who use smokeless tobacco will develop

leukoplakia, precancerous oral lesions that can convert to oral cancer.

Oral cancer occurs twice as often in men as in women.

aaaaa

your donation in the

enclosed envelope

will be matched by

the state of Arkansas

and will help fund

construction of the

Cancer Institute

expansion.

seek magazine | summer 2008

Documents

cancer institute directors

oral cancer

cancer research leukemia

cancer institutes expansion

active cancer physicians

medical sciences

new campaign

uams campus