Newswise — (Phoenix, Ariz.) Ruben Mesa, M.D. was unanimously elected to serve as the next chair of the Arizona Cancer Coalition, a coalition that seeks to improve the systems and policies that prevent disease, improve the care of our loved ones, and ultimately protect life.
Housed in the Arizona Department of Health, the Arizona Cancer Coalition leverages the collective power of government programs, businesses, healthcare, research and non-profit organizations to improve how we as a state reduce the cancer burden for all Arizonans.
Ruben A. Mesa, M.D., is professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School and chair of the division of hematology/oncology in the Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic. He is also the deputy director of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Arizona. It is with a sense of dedication to the Arizona Cancer Coalition’s mission that Dr. Mesa will fill the chairmanship of the coalition.
“I am hopeful as we anticipate an era of unprecedented hope, collaboration and scientific teamwork for decreasing the burden of cancer amongst Arizonans and that the Arizona Cancer Coalition will play an important role in these efforts,” Dr. Mesa said.
Jeffrey Zetino, the Comprehensive Cancer Control Program director for the Arizona Department of Health Services, has witnessed Dr. Mesa’s leadership in action while he served in the research committee for the Arizona Cancer Coalition.
“Finding someone with the technical expertise, leadership and commitment to fighting cancer and caring for patients is rare,” Zetino said. “We have been lucky to have Dr. Mesa chair a very challenging research committee, and he has successfully done so with dedication, foresight, and a nuanced grasp of group dynamics.”
Dr. Mesa will succeed Sharlene Bozack, the outgoing Arizona Cancer Coalition chair. Bozack, who is also the chief government relations officer at the American Cancer Society, helped guide the coalition through its reboot in 2013. Her dedication and guidance has helped reposition the coalition as a leader in the fight against cancer. We are grateful for her leadership and commitment. Her passion for fighting cancer will be encapsulated in the foundation she has helped to build and will be felt by all Arizonans.
Dr. Mesa is available for interviews to discuss a variety of cancer topics. To request an interview with Dr. Mesa, please contact Jeffrey Zetino, Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Control Program Director, (602) 501-4755, or Julie Janovsky-Mason, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, (480) 301-6173.
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