UK HealthCare

Markey Cancer Center Adopts First Sister Center

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 12, 2010) – The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center has formed an international partnership with its first "sister center," the Shanghai First People's Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center in Shanghai, China.

Dr. Mark Evers, director of the Markey Cancer Center, hailed the partnership as an example of the type of international collaboration needed among scientists and medical practitioners in the worldwide effort to beat cancer. It also distinguishes the Markey Cancer Center as not just the premier cancer center in Kentucky, but as a world-class cancer treatment and research facility with global influence.

The relationship between the two centers was made official at a signing ceremony held at the University of Kentucky April 2. At the ceremony, representatives from both institutions signed a memorandum of understanding outlining plans for cooperative initiatives in cancer prevention and treatment, research collaboration and personnel exchanges for training and education.

"This is yet another wonderful milestone for the Markey Cancer Center and the University of Kentucky," Evers said.  "This ceremony marks the beginning of new collaborations and interactions with our sister cancer center in Shanghai and demonstrates the enlarging global influence of the Markey Cancer Center. We look forward to strengthening our ties with our colleagues in China as we work together to identify new and better treatment options for our cancer patients."

Evers signed the memorandum of understanding on behalf of UK, along with UK Executive Vice President for Health Affairs Dr. Michael Karpf. Signing on behalf of the Shanghai cancer center were Dr. Liwei Wang, the center's director, and Dr. Guohua Liu, president of Shanghai First People's Hospital. 

"Cancer  is a big issue, not just in China, but also in the United States," Liu said. "The collaboration will help promote research and patient care. It will be very significant in this respect."

Shanghai First People’s Hospital, affiliated with Shanghai Jiaotong University,  is one the largest major hospitals in the Shanghai metropolitan area. Its cancer center has more than 43,000 outpatient visits and over 5,700 cancer surgeries per year. Major research interests are focused on gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer.

"They have a very sophisticated center, and we already do research collaboration with them," Karpf said. "I think this will further our research efforts as much as it furthers their research efforts. We will get new information and new knowledge out of this that will get translated into action in Kentucky."