 |
 |
|
|
|
Contact: Amy McKibbin
Amy.McKibbin@hoaghospital.org
Hoag Hospital Designates $5 Million from George Hoag Family Foundation
To Establish First Chair Position in Honor of Grace E. Hoag
Endowment Echoes Historical Decision by Family Matriarch to Fund Hospital Advancement
June 26, 2008 - Newport Beach, CA: Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian announced today a $5 million gift from the George Hoag Family Foundation, which will be used to establish the Grace E. Hoag Chair position within Hoag Cancer Center. Newly designated Chair, Robert O. Dillman M.D. will serve as both executive medical and scientific director and endowed chair of Hoag Cancer Center, focusing on collaborative research and educational opportunities that support and expand Hoag’s multi-disciplinary cancer program.
Recently accredited as a one of the most comprehensive cancer programs in
the United States, Hoag’s survival rate for patients with invasive cancer is approximately 17% above the national rate. Due to his outstanding leadership, Hoag chose, as a community-based hospital, to endow Dr. Dillman’s future program endeavors. This includes broadening Hoag’s access to vital cancer research and information, supporting academic affiliations and partnering with other leading oncologists in an effort to continually improve Hoag Cancer Center levels of patient outcomes and survivorship.
“This endowment marks a major milestone in the history of Hoag hospital,” declared
Richard Afable, M.D., president and CEO of Hoag Hospital. “It is the first major gift designated for a chair position at the hospital, and it came at a very important time.”
“As the management of cancer continues to become more and more specialized, there is a greater need for shared research, education and training among oncologists,” explained Dr. Afable. “In 1948, Grace Hoag made the decision to fund the construction and development of Hoag Hospital so that the health care needs of the community would not be impeded. Today, the George Hoag Family Foundation continues that tradition by helping Hoag Cancer Center move forward in achieving the highest possible standard of cancer care and treatment.”
"I am extremely honored to be the first person to hold the Grace E. Hoag Chair," stated Dr. Dillman. "Everyday as I become more knowledgeable about cancer, I have an increased appreciation for its complexity and diversity," he said. "Cancer treatment has become multidisciplinary and requires interaction among physicians that historically has not gone on. Through this endowment I believe we will be able to stretch the boundaries of learning and communication among fellow oncologists and ultimately incorporate this knowledge into more effective and successful cancer treatments."
Dr. Dillman is the executive medical and scientific director of Hoag Cancer Center in Newport Beach, CA, where he has been since 1989. Dr. Dillman’s medical training and experience included a BA from Stanford, MD and internal medicine residency and chief residency at Baylor College of Medicine, and hematology and oncology fellowship at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). He is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hematology.
Prior to coming to Hoag, Dr. Dillman was assistant director of the UCSD Cancer Center and chief of Hematology/Oncology at the San Diego VA Medical Center, then director of Experimental Clinical Oncology and associate director of the Ida M. Green Cancer Center of Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in La Jolla, California.
Since 1989 he has been a clinical professor of Medicine at UC Irvine. Dr. Dillman has authored or co-authored more than 270 scientific articles, reviews, book chapters, and monographs. He is recognized internationally for his work in lung cancer and cancer biotherapy, including monoclonal antibodies, interleukin-2, adoptive cellular therapy and autologous cancer cell vaccines. Dr. Dillman is a highly regarded medical educator, having delivered more than 700 invited lectures throughout the US and in 10 foreign countries.
About Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (www.hoaghospital.org) is a 498-bed, not-for-profit, acute care hospital located in Newport Beach, Calif. Fully accredited by The Joint Commission and designated as a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Hoag offers a comprehensive mix of health care services, including Centers of Excellence in cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, orthopedics and women’s health. Recent studies released by Health Grades place Hoag among the top 5 percent of hospitals in the nation for both Clinical Excellence and Patient Safety. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s most preferred hospital for the past 12 consecutive years. And for an unprecedented 12 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as the county’s best hospital in a local newspaper survey.
# # #
|
|
|
|