Society of surgical oncology presidential address: friendships, partnerships, and teams--keys to academic success.

Abstract

After productive careers at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, I accepted the position of Director and CEO of the Lucille P. Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. I was impressed by the state, the institutional commitment to the Cancer Center, and the outstanding physical plant that involved four relatively new high-quality buildings. In the 3 years that I have been in Lexington, I have grown to greatly enjoy my new lifestyle and the many new friends that I have made at the University and in the “Bluegrass.” Lexington is known for the “three H’s”—history, horses, and hoops. History goes back to 1775, when Lexington was established and named for the first battle of the Revolutionary War. Most children have read about the life of Daniel Boone, who helped establish the state of Kentucky. The equine industry, particularly thoroughbred racehorses, is an integral component of Kentucky, particularly the Central Bluegrass region within which Lexington is situated. Keeneland Race Track is a beautiful facility that provides the venue for a very large number of the thoroughbred horse auctions that occur during the year. The last H is for hoops, which has to do with the University of Kentucky being the “winningest” basketball team in the United States. The basketball team plays in Rupp Arena, 6000 seats larger than my prior venue at Madison Square Garden. My life in Lexington is dramatically different, my having moved from an apartment in New York City to a thoroughbred horse farm in Lexington. Although only 25 minutes from the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center, I live in a rural environment. My academic career has proceeded in various venues—Boston, Bethesda, New York, Chicago, and, most recently, Lexington. As I thought about the opportunities to share some insights gained over the years with the membership of the Society of Surgical Oncology, it became clear to me that an important unifying theme has been my ability to leverage sequential friendships, partnerships, and teams as keys to academic success. It is very difficult to start an academic career and define an academic or business model for a career that will survive unchanged through a lifetime. It is the purpose of my address to share with readers the success factors that I have had in my academic career that provide what I believe are useful paradigms for others in academic surgical oncology.