Arnold Palmer Gives $2 Million to Pitt in Battle Against Cancer

PITTSBURGH, May 3 – Arnold Palmer today joined leaders at the University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) to announce a $2 million gift from The Arnold D. Palmer 2003 Charitable Trust to UPCI and UPMC Cancer Centers to create The Arnold Palmer Endowed Chair in Cancer Prevention. The gift has allowed UPCI to recruit an internationally recognized expert in cancer risk and individual susceptibility, Emanuela Taioli, MD, PhD, as the inaugural Arnold Palmer Professor of Cancer Prevention.

Dr. Taioli, recently named director of the division of cancer prevention and population science at UPCI, will, in that position, lead a new initiativeÑthe evaluation of biobehavioral, genetic and environmental factors and how they interact to make a person more susceptible to cancer. Specific programs within the initiative will focus on cancer and the environment, the relationship between genetics and cancer and the evaluation of individual cancer risk.

"Arnold Palmer has been a passionate advocate of programs supporting cancer research and early detection," said Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg. "Today we express our gratitude as we celebrate this most extremely generous gift, one that will further the University's long-standing tradition of contributing to the treatment, prevention and cure of some of the most complex and challenging diseases of our time. Arnold Palmer is one of America's most admired individuals, and we feel privileged to have his name joined with ours in such a meaningful way."

"The new initiative in cancer prevention made possible by Arnold Palmer's extraordinary generosity will build on our successes and ensure the future growth of science and medical research to help us make a lasting impact on rates of disease," added Arthur S. Levine, MD, senior vice chancellor, health sciences, and dean, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

"The burden of cancer reaches far into our community and exacts an enormous toll, not only on patients, but on their families, loved ones, co-workers and everyone who they know," said Mr. Palmer. "I have confidence that the research successes gained through this initiative will have a far-reaching impact on cancer prevention and quality of life for survivors."

As more and more people are living with cancer Ð the National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 10 million people living in the United States have either had cancer or are currently under treatment for it Ð a shift in focus is required to address the unique needs of survivors who are at great risk not only for recurrence, but also for the development of new cancer, says Dr. Taioli, also appointed professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and professor of hematology/oncology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

"The most significant impact that can be made on cancer survival is to prevent the disease from occurring in the first place through an increased understanding of cancer risk and individual susceptibility," said Ronald B. Herberman, MD, director of UPCI and UPMC Cancer Centers. "Greater knowledge will lead us to effective methods for preventing cancer, bringing renewed hope to cancer survivors and their children who may have concerns about their own risks for cancer."

The gift is being announced in conjunction with the UPCI and UPMC Cancer Centers annual fundraising gala, Seasons of HopeÉA Future Without Cancer, to be held at 5:30 pm, Wednesday, May 3 at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex in Pittsburgh's South Side.

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UPMC News Bureau