Viner Named Head of Gastrointestinal Cancers Group
Dr. Jaye Viner was recently appointed chief of the Gastrointestinal and Other Cancers Research Group in NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention. Dr. Viner has served in this group since 1998, leading its efforts to prove the value of promising technologies for the prevention of skin, liver, and hematolymphoid cancers.

Dr. Viner joined NCI in 1995, working in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in the Division of Basic Sciences. She completed her internal medicine internship and residency at the University of Maryland Medical System in Baltimore after earning her medical degree from the University of Virginia. She received her master's degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Viner is a Commander in the U.S. Public Health Service and currently attends in the NCI-Navy Medical Oncology Clinic. She serves as an associate editor for Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, and frequently reviews manuscripts for cancer research and medical journals.

Linehan Receives Barringer Medal On April 8 at the annual meeting of the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons (AAGUS) in Laguna Niguel, Calif., Dr. W. Marston Linehan, chief of the Urologic Oncology Branch in NCI's CCR, received the Barringer Medal, a distinguished honor that is awarded to an AAGUS member every 1 to 2 years. Dr. Linehan is the 26th recipient of the award, which was established in 1954 to honor young and promising association members. According to Dr. David McCullough, AAGUS past president, Dr. Linehan was selected for the award because of his "superb" research into the molecular genetics analysis of urologic malignancies and his commitment to involving urologists in both medical and surgical kidney cancer treatments.

Coltman Steps Down as SWOG Chair; Baker Assumes Leadership
On April 8, Dr. Charles A. Coltman, Jr., stepped down as chair of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), a position he held for 24 years. Dr. Laurence H. Baker of the University of Michigan will succeed him as chair. Dr. Baker has been associate chair since May 1981.

Under Dr. Coltman's leadership, SWOG made numerous contributions to clinical cancer research, including outreach to urologic oncologists resulting in increased patient enrollment in genitourinary trials, launch of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial and the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, and FDA approval of nine new cancer therapies piloted by SWOG.

Dr. Coltman is professor of medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and president emeritus of the Cancer Therapy & Research Center there. In 1978, he co-founded the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, which has since become the world's largest symposium on breast cancer, attracting more than 6,500 participants from more than 80 countries. Dr. Coltman will continue to play a major role in SWOG as associate chair for cancer control and prevention.

AACI Meets with Hill Staff
On April 5, the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) and the Friends of Cancer Research advocacy group met with Congressional staff members for a lunchtime presentation titled, "Our Nation's Cancer Centers: Advancing Research, Patient Care, and Economic Infrastructure in Your State." Approximately 100 people attended the meeting, which was held in partnership with the House Cancer Caucus and the Senate Cancer Coalition. After introductions by Dr. Harold Moses, director emeritus of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and president of AACI, Dr. Karen Antman, deputy director of translational and clinical sciences at NCI, moderated a panel of speakers that included Dr. Moses as well as Dr. Edward J. Benz, Jr., president and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Dr. Judith Gasson, director of UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center; Jim Miller, a patient advocate at UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center; and Dr. Robert C. Young, president of Fox Chase Cancer Center. Following an hour of moderated discussion on scientific, educational, and economic contributions of cancer centers, the panel answered audience questions about the most recent advances against cancer and new research that remains to be embarked upon; the effect of recent NIH conflict-of-interest measures on cancer centers; and the absence of cancer centers in certain regions of the United States. For more information about this event, go to http://www.aaci-cancer.org/news.asp?navid=3&pid=3.