Staff surprise

By Jo McCulty Cheryl Holloway, center, is congratulated May 3 by Ned Cullom of the Office of Human Resources, right, after being told that she is a recipient of a Distinguished Staff Award this year. The surprise was presented by Richard Bednarski, left, director of the Veterinary Hospital. Holloway, an animal health technician, is one of 12 who will receive the award.

War waged on Asian-American cancer

An Ohio State professor can be credited with assembling colleagues from five national cancer centers to prepare to wage war on cancer in the Asian community.

The professor, Moon Chen, is principal investigator for the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training (AANCART), a $7.6 million National Cancer Institute project -- the first of its kind -- to reach into Chinese and Vietnamese communities to reduce their risk of cancer.

AANCART recently held its first cancer control academy in Oakland, Calif. Chen, professor of health behavior and health promotion at Ohio State's School of Public Health, convened the academy.

Moon Chen is principal investigator for the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training.

"We refer to this meeting as an Ôacademy' to signify that we are preparing people to work in the community, as opposed to simply increasing their knowledge about the community," said Chen, a researcher with Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"We are preparing people to conduct cancer control research and cancer awareness activities in Chinese and Vietnamese communities."

The academy provided insights into such topics as how culture affects cancer prevention efforts in Chinese and Vietnamese communities. In contrast to the usual conferences, the people attending the academy were primarily community-based leaders and clinicians, as opposed to academics. "I think that is unique," Chen said.

Speakers presented tested models for promoting smoking cessation, Hepatitis-B vaccination, and other forms of cancer prevention in Chinese and Vietnamese communities.

The academy targeted tobacco use as a way to reduce the burden of lung cancer. It also promoted Hepatitis-B vaccination as a way of reducing liver cancer, he said.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Asian Americans and Americans generally. Liver cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer death among Asian Americans. (Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among Asian Americans and Americans generally.) Hepatitis-B viral infection is responsible for about 80 percent of liver cancers.

"Hepatitis-B vaccine is actually the world's first anti-cancer vaccine," Chen said, explaining that the vaccine hasn't been appreciated as a way to prevent liver cancer.

On April 26, and coincidentally with the academy, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) held a press conference in California to encourage Hepatitis-B vaccination of Asian-American children ages 8 to 18. During the press conference, Chen represented the American Cancer Society's national board and endorsed the Hepatitis-B vaccine program.

AANCART's primary mission is to develop strategies to reduce cancer incidence in America's diverse Asian community, which encompasses more than 30 ethnic groups and 800 languages and dialects.

The other centers are Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Harvard University, Boston), Columbia University (the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York City), Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (University of Washington, Seattle), University of California, San Francisco (Northern California Cancer Center), and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (University of California, Los Angeles).

Collectively, nearly half of all Asian Americans live in these cities.

Forums will illustrate ways Ohio can benefit from technology business

Gov. Bob Taft and leading computer entrepreneur Michael Dell will be among speakers addressing upcoming Ohio State events designed to illustrate what Ohio must do to secure the most benefits from technology business opportunities.

The events, hosted by TechPartners at Ohio State and local sponsors, focus on technology commercialization opportunities involving the University, the city of Columbus and the state of Ohio.

Connectivity 2001: The TechPartners Forum for Ohio Leaders kicks off the series May 21 at the Hyatt on Capitol Square. Designed to build awareness and understanding of technology investments and advancements in Ohio, the forum will involve Ohio legislators and technology business leaders.

Dell, chairman and chief executive officer of Dell Computer Corp., will offer his thoughts on the technology-driven economy and the roles of higher education and state government within that environment. Specifically, he will explain how he grew a business from his dorm room into one of the most dynamic companies in today's economy.

Following Dell's luncheon remarks, a moderated panel discussion will focus on Ohio as a place to create and grow technology companies. The panel of experts will field questions regarding realistic strategies to enable Ohio to attain economic competitiveness nationwide. Later that afternoon, Dell will visit children at a Columbus public school and address MBA students at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State. He will share his experiences and challenges in building the Dell Corp.

A visit by Columbus technology and civic leaders to Austin, Texas, last fall for a community benchmarking trip played a role in development of the forum. According to David N. Allen, assistant vice president for technology partnerships at Ohio State, it was clear to the traveling group that the creation and growth of Dell Computer was a key focal point for positioning Austin as a technology center.

"Michael Dell is the ideal keynote speaker for this event because he represents the entrepreneurial spirit and his company represents the business growth that Columbus seeks to achieve," Allen said.

On May 22, Taft will join technology business leaders, Ohio legislators and University officials during a luncheon at the Longaberger Alumni House for Connectivity 2001: The TechPartners Awards. Individuals and companies exhibiting exemplary partnerships between the academic and technology business communities will receive the awards. Following the luncheon, the Columbus Technology Leadership Council will lead a moderated panel discussion examining ways to expand central Ohio as a technology powerhouse. The discussion is open to the public.

Connectivity 2001: The TechPartners Venture Summit will round out the month on May 25, during which venture capital and technology business leaders will meet with Ohio State officials at Longaberger Alumni House to learn more about technology commercialization opportunities at the University. Bob Dixon, chief research engineer in the University's Office of the Chief Information Officer and a senior systems developer/engineer for the Internet service provider OARnet, will deliver an Internet-based presentation titled "Internet Voice and Video: State of the Art and Development Horizons."

Throughout the day, venture capital and business technology leaders will have the opportunity to interact with faculty members and students at Ohio State and start-up companies associated with TechPartners organizations.

TechPartners is working to build the infrastructure and entrepreneurial environment to make technology commercialization opportunities a reality in Ohio. An affiliation of three Ohio State offices and four external technology organizations, TechPartners works to transform knowledge and innovation into new technologies and companies. The resulting technology partnerships increase the University's research competitiveness and generate value for students, faculty members and the Ohio economy.

For more information about the Connectivity 2001 spring events or to register, contact Beth Van Gundy at 688-0189 or vangundy.1@osu.edu.

next page...