New Cookbook Benefits Cancer Research and Patient Assistance

Pittsburgh, PA, November 6, 2009 – “Living to Cook,” a collection of favorite recipes from local professional cook and food writer Jane Citron, is now available for purchase in Pittsburgh bookstores. All proceeds from book sales will go to the Jane and Carl Citron Endowed Chair in Colon Cancer at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the UPMC Cancer Centers Patient Assistance Fund.

Ms. Citron, who died in 2006 from colon cancer, spent 28 years writing about food for various Pittsburgh publications, including the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Pittsburgh Press. “Living to Cook” contains Ms. Citron's personal cooking and tasting notes, as well as her memories of serving favorite dishes to her family and friends.

The Citron family published this cookbook to honor Ms. Citron's memory, her love of the culinary arts, and her commitment to finding ways to prevent, treat and eventually cure colon cancer.

More than 100,000 Americans will be diagnosed this year with colorectal cancer, the second-leading cause of all cancer-related deaths in the United States. If diagnosed in the early stages, the survival rate for colon cancer is as high as 90 percent. To learn more about “Living to Cook” or ways to support the Citron family's efforts in combating colon cancer, contact Michelle Houser at (412) 647-4241 or housermk@upmc.edu.

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University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
As one of the nation's leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition. Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates, Pitt has ranked among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1997 and now ranks fifth in the nation, according to preliminary data for fiscal year 2008. Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region's economy. For more information about the School of Medicine, see www.medschool.pitt.edu.