Research Advancing Kentucky: Propelling the science behind cancer care
Researchers at the University of Kentucky play an important role in advancing the health, well-being and future of our Commonwealth.
Much of that work is done with support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). That support allows our researchers to find answers to many of the critical health issues facing Kentuckians.
B. Mark Evers, M.D., is the director of the UK's Markey Cancer Center, physician in chief of oncology service and a professor of surgery in the UK College of Medicine.
Markey is 1 of only 72 National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the country. It’s the first and only center in Kentucky to achieve this designation.
To become a comprehensive cancer center, centers must excel in lab, clinical and population research, including cross-disciplinary efforts. They must also show strong community impact and train future cancer experts.
“Markey has become the ‘go-to’ cancer center in a state with very high incidence and mortality rates for many cancers. Our outreach services and research to our rural communities in Appalachian Eastern Kentucky are vital to the health of this rural population which suffers from a number of health disparities,” said Evers. “Research is the only way that we will impact the high cancer burden in our state.”
Through the prestigious NCI Cancer Center Support Grant, Markey receives funding to support research programs, shared equipment and resources.
Evers is a nationally recognized clinician-scientist and oncologic surgeon. His research, primarily supported by the NCI, focuses on the molecular drivers of gastrointestinal and colorectal cancers.
Evers and other members of the research community shared the importance of NIH-funded research at UK in this video series from Research Communications.
Learn more about each featured researcher.
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