UC Cancer Center taps new director

The Cincinnati Business Courier spoke with David Gius, MD, PhD, who was recently named the next director of the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center.

"I’m drawn to the challenge,” Gius told the Business Courier. “(A National Cancer Institute designation) is imperative. It’s something the city deserves, and the cancer center is now in a competitive position."

"There’s a domino effect – everyone in Cincinnati should benefit from improved cancer care," Gius continued. "Every hospital in the area will have to improve the care they give. And ultimately that's what we want to do. We want to improve the outcomes of patients in Cincinnati diagnosed with cancer.”

Gius joins the University of Cincinnati from the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, where he served as associate cancer center director for translational research and assistant dean for research. He said one goal is to expand on survivorship programs, including strengthening transition clinics for pediatric patients entering adulthood.

“For reasons unknown, children who are cancer survivors, even though their average lifespan is unchanged, they tend to experience accelerated aging, but they also have other aging-related post-treatment sequela (conditions that stems from a previous disease),” he said. “One of my interests is building that transition clinic that’s manned by both pediatric and adult medical oncologists and then build clinical trials, so those children don’t suffer from those aging-related consequences of their cancer therapy.”

Read the Cincinnati Business Courier article.

Featured photo at top of Gius presenting a lecture. Photo provided.