Press Release from the cancer institute of new jersey

March 23,2006
Contact: Courtney DeNicola
CINJ 732-235-9872
denicoca@umdnj.edu

World’s Largest Cancer Research Organization Elects New President

American Association for Cancer Research Elects CINJ Director,
William N. Hait, M.D., Ph.D. as its New President-Elect

New Brunswick—William N. Hait, M.D., Ph.D., New Jersey native and Director of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), has been voted President-Elect of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the world's oldest and largest scientific organization dedicated to cancer research.

Effective April 3, Hait will assume this new role, in addition to remaining the editor-inchief of the AACR journal, Clinical Cancer Research. Beginning April 2007, Hait will serve as president for one year, and will remain on the Executive Committee of the AACR until April 2008, as past-president. The year 2007 is the 100th anniversary of the inception of this prestigious organization whose mission is to accelerate the prevention and cure of cancer.

For the past thirteen years, Hait has served as Director of CINJ, New Jersey's first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and as Associate Dean, Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. As a medical oncologist specializing in the care of breast cancer patients, Hait conducts research with his patients in mind. His laboratory studies the determinants of sensitivity to anticancer treatments and signal transduction systems uniquely altered in malignant cells. This research spans molecular and cellular biology to tissue culture and animal models, ultimately improving the treatment of cancer patients.

"We are delighted that Dr. Hait has been elected to the Presidency of the AACR," said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. "He is a highly respected scientist and compassionate physician whose expertise in both laboratory and clinical research will be very important in furthering our advances against cancer in this new era of translational research and molecular targeted therapies."

We are proud of Dr. Hait's newly elected position which is reflective of the outstanding research and leadership skills he possesses," stated Robert E. Campbell, Chairman of the CINJ Board of Overseers. "His vision to have CINJ become one of the nation's leading cancer centers has created an exemplary facility and resource for New Jersey."

Hait's commitment toward creating a cancer center of the highest quality has attracted some the nation's most well-known and respected scientists and physicians. CINJ’s faculty, most of whom are members of the AACR, are committed to research that can be applied toward the ultimate benefit of cancer patients.

"The AACR stands as a beacon for those who understand and therefore value the importance of excellence in research to the ultimate conquest of cancer," said Hait. "The AACR offers cancer researchers their most natural professional home because of its diverse scientific membership, and I am proud to be part of the new leadership."

Membership in the AACR surpasses 24,000, including basic, translational, and clinical researchers, healthcare professionals, and patient advocates and cancer survivors in the United States and abroad. Founded in 1907, the AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs, communications, and funding meritorious research projects.

The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is the state’s first and only National Cancer Institutedesignated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is dedicated to improving the prevention, detection, treatment and care of patients with cancer. CINJ’s physician-scientists engage in translational research, transforming their laboratory discoveries into clinical practice quite literally bringing research to life. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Network is comprised of hospitals throughout the state and provides a mechanism to rapidly disseminate important discoveries into the community. Partner Hospitals: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Atlantic Health System (Morristown Memorial Hospital, Mountainside Hospital, Overlook Hospital). Affiliate Hospitals: Bayshore Community Hospital, CentraState Healthcare System, Cooper University Hospital (CINJ at Cooper),* Jersey Shore University Medical Center, JFK Medical Center, Monmouth Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton (CINJ-Hamilton), Saint Peter’s University Hospital, Somerset Medical Center, Southern Ocean County Hospital, The University Hospital/UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School*, and University Medical Center at Princeton.

*Academic Affiliate