[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 165 (Tuesday, November 19, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S8184]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                         ABRAMSON CANCER CENTER

 Mr. CASEY. Madam President, today I wish to recognize the 40th 
anniversary of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of 
Pennsylvania.
  Since its founding, the University of Pennsylvania has been at the 
forefront of education. It is one of the oldest universities in the 
United States, founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin who later went out 
on to found the Nation's first hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital. From 
its inception the university was a leader in medical care and research 
which culminated in the creation of the Nation's first school of 
medicine in 1765 and then the first teaching hospital, the Hospital of 
the University of Pennsylvania in 1874. Today, the Perelman School of 
Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is ranked in the top 5 best 
medical schools in the country and the hospital is ranked in the top 15 
best hospitals.
  With the growing diagnoses of cancer throughout the world, in 1973 a 
dedicated team of specialists established a center that would bring 
together all cancer research at the university, which one year later 
was designated a comprehensive cancer center by National Cancer 
Institute, NCI, one of only 41 in the country. In 2002, the center 
changed its name to the Abramson Cancer Center after the generous 
donation from Leonard and Madlyn Abramson. This gift allowed the center 
to conduct innovative cancer research and improve the quality of care 
for patients.
  The Abramson Cancer Center is composed of 318 faculty members from 37 
departments and 8 schools within the University of Pennsylvania. In 
2010, the NCI described the quality of care at the center as 
``exceptional.'' One of the reasons the Abramson Cancer Center is 
ranked among the top 15 cancer centers in the country is because of its 
outstanding faculty collaboration. Healthcare professionals including 
medical and radiation oncologists, counselors, dieticians, and 
rehabilitation specialists work together to ensure that patients 
receive the most comprehensive care possible.
  Having the Madlyn and Leonard Abramson Family Cancer Research 
Institute as a part of the university research facilities ensures that 
the transition between the laboratory and the clinical care setting is 
expedited. This guarantees that patients are able to receive the 
cutting-edge treatment and prevention options they need.
  Since its establishment, the Abramson Cancer Center has been 
essential in the fight to cure cancer. The center works to achieve this 
through extensive research, innovative clinical trials and exceptional 
cancer care.
  I am proud that the Abramson Cancer Center is located in the great 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and wish to congratulate and recognize 
them on their 40th anniversary.

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