From the Desk of Dr. Louis M. Weiner

I was so delighted to be a part of Wednesdays “Fighting a Smarter War on Cancer” Symposium at the Leavey Center. This symposium reflected the challenge of the Ruesch Center to cure, and not just treat gastrointestinal cancers, John Marshall assembled a terrific lineup of speakers who really did a great job of speaking to a diverse audience. Many of these speakers were from Lombardi, and really demonstrated the depth and originality of the work being done here. I must say that I was very proud of our Cancer Center. I also was, as always, captivated by John, who was the sensational emcee’ of the event. Imagine seeing “Donohue” live in the studio (I guess I am dating myself), infused with a passion for a most worthy cause. It was a great day.

When I got done with clinic yesterday, I turned my attention to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, which will be held on May 1st and 2nd. As you know, Lombardi has a growing team of walkers, and I officially joined the team today. I invite everyone who wants to help us support this fabulous event to do so by joining our team. If you can, walk with us. If you can’t walk, cheer for the walkers. And, of course, feel free to support the team with a donation. Together, we can make a difference via our advocacy to have a huge impact on addressing breast cancer health disparities through our Avon Foundation-supported Capital Breast Care Center. We have great ambitions for this year’s walk. I will begin training as soon as the snowpack has receded, and predict that there will be many long walks in my future!

So, I’ll bet lots of us are itching to get back to work! I have managed to make it in every day this week except yesterday, when it just was not worth the risk and the roads were, for a while, especially impassable. I am in clinic right now, seeing a couple of new and few follow up patients. Hopefully we’ll be fully operational by Friday.

Unfortunately, tomorrow’s Grand Rounds with Michael Kastan has been postponed due to travel woes; it’s a real shame because he is really one of the most thoughtful and insightful leaders in our field. Hopefully, we’ll get him rescheduled fairly soon.

As much fun as it has been to shovel, shiver, slip and slide over the past week, I expect that next week will be a real challenge as I (and everyone else) catch up on missed meetings. For example, I have been waiting on some potentially exciting results from a siRNA library screen against pancreatic cancer cells in the lab, but I guess I’ll just have to hold my breath a little bit longer…

Be safe, and remember – pitchers and catchers report in a few weeks.