About Us

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

It takes a certain amount of audacity and imagination and a great deal of exceptional research to acheive a breakthrough discovery in the field of cancer.  The Ben May Department for Cancer Research at the University of Chicago is characterized by just a winning combination.  Our focus on fundamental scientific research into the mechanism of cancer progression continues to lead to outstanding discoveries year after year.  Our vision is a future where cancer is either eliminated by total cure or managed by chronic treatment that enables a high quality of life.

The mission of the Ben May Department is embodied in the motto of our founder, the late Nobel Prize winner Charles Huggins: "Discovery is our Business."  In that spirit of discovery, our researchers are pushing the boundaries of understanding and challenging the assumptions that often impede progress.  We believe the first step toward preventing or curing cancer is basic research on the intricacies of the human body and the molecular, cellular, and genetic events that lead to cancer.  Advances in our fundamental understanding of cancer can then be translated into better methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

We are motivated in our work by the genious of those who have gone before us in the Ben May Department and the courage of those who are fighting their personal battles against cancer today.  It takes time, talent, dedication and resources to continue to advance toward a cure.  Generous funding has enabled the Ben May Department to increase its roster of quality faculty researchers and to support our move into new offices and laboratories with equipped with the finest technology.  These resources will prove indispensable in the enhancement and progression of our research.

In the dynamic environment of the Gordon Center for Integrative Sciences, we are witnessing how scientific disciplines can come together, quite literally to collaborate in very powerful ways.  Beyond these walls, the Ben May Department participates in interdisciplinary research in partnership with the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center, the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, the Argonne National Laboratory and the Computation Institute.  The resulting synergies of these new relationships and communication channels have led to new and exciting research opportunities.

We are proud that the significance of our research continues to be recognized by prestigious awards, publications and conference invitations.  We are even more proud when our work in basic research is translated into new treatment and prevention techniques.

We trust that donors, funders and partners share our sense of accomplishment for their part in supporting our work.  We could not do it without you.

Thank you,

Marsha Rosner, Ph.D.