LINDA DUSKA, MD: We are absolutely thrilled that the NCI has recognized the UVA Cancer Center as an NCI Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

TOM LOUGHRAN, MD: The NCI was formulated, and the Cancer Center organization was structured in 1971. There are 71 NCI-Designated Cancer Centers. And now, we, at UVA is the 52nd to achieve a higher level designation known as a Comprehensive Cancer Center.

LINDA DUSKA, MD: An NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, like the Cancer Center at UVA, offers patients a really broad and comprehensive approach to their cancer care that may not be available at a different cancer care institution.

TOM LOUGHRAN, MD: There are four in particular criteria that are reviewed for comprehensive status. And the first one is actually usually the hardest to achieve, is depth and breadth of research in three major areas: basic research, clinical research, population research. Second point is what's called transdisciplinary research. This is really an evaluation of how have you taken maximum advantage of the strengths of the university in team science. The third category is community outreach and engagement. And then lastly, the fourth category is also really important for the next generation, which is training and education. So there are many advantages to being at a higher level of comprehensive cancer center from the NCI. First one is that it serves as a magnet for attracting stars in both clinical and basic, as well as population research.

LINDA DUSKA, MD: We always excelled at research, both basic science research, where people are actually in the lab doing research, all the way to taking those laboratory results and translating them into results in patients.

TOM LOUGHRAN, MD: Second one is it attracts a lot of great clinical people here. So that you can form state-of-the-art, what we call multidisciplinary clinics. And we're able to see patients with subspecialists and radiation oncology, medical oncology, surgical oncology, and newer discipline of immunotherapy.

LINDA DUSKA, MD: We've also worked and continue to work harder on outreach to the communities, specifically with respect to cancer prevention.

TOM LOUGHRAN, MD: The two major causes of cancer, as probably everyone knows, is smoking and tobacco. But interestingly, obesity is now the second most common risk factor for all cancers. And both of those are very high in our population. Students in middle schools actually get an app. It's called iSipsmarter. We've enrolled 1,000 students every year in Southwest Virginia in this program. And it highlights to them the dangers of sugary drinks leading to obesity, and then, down the road, cancer, that program has been very effective. That's just one example of a very effective intervention in the community.

LINDA DUSKA, MD: And the comprehensive status of our cancer center really gives us the resources to be able to reach out to those groups of underserved individuals, and better serve the state of Virginia with respect to cancer care.

TOM LOUGHRAN, MD: So in the next four more years, we want to continue to build our population research program. That has the most tangible benefit in the population that we serve in terms of preventing cancer.

LINDA DUSKA, MD: We're the only comprehensive cancer center NCI-Designated in the state of Virginia, and we're very proud of that designation. And it reflects a tremendous amount of collaborative teamwork.