Category: Magazine

The Winter 2025 O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center magazine is now available online.

When members of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center investigate complex questions together, the new therapies, discoveries and patient care improvements that result become more than the sum of the parts

As the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB celebrates the 50th anniversary of its first core grant from the National Cancer Institute, its comprehensive vision comes full circle in this retrospective on the history of the NCI designations that started it all.

The O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the only National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Alabama and in a four-state region, celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer.

Just in time for the 50th anniversary of the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center's first National Cancer Institute core grant and NCI designation, Bassel El-Rayes, M.D., joined the O'Neal Cancer Center in January 2022 to serve as the Cancer Center's new deputy director.

Looking back on the past 50 years of basic science research at the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, cancer scientists reflect on the major discoveries that have paved the way for the future of cancer care.

In honor of its 50th anniversary, the O'Neal Cancer Center reflects on its history of addressing cancer health disparities in communities across Alabama, the Black Belt and beyond.

After serving as assistant to the director of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB for a total of 48 years, Joan Kemp recalls the early days of the O’Neal Cancer Center and reflects on her time working with the O’Neal Cancer Center’s first three directors.

In honor of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center’s golden anniversary, this special issue of the O'Neal Cancer Center magazine dives into the complex social and cultural history of cancer and breaks down the evolution of the major cancer treatment modalities of the past 50 years.

Every day, scientists across the world learn more about how to treat COVID-19, how it spreads and how it affects those who contract it, but what does that mean for cancer research?

After roughly four decades on the Advisory Board of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, George Wheelock III has seen the evolution of both the O’Neal Cancer Center and its annual ArtBLINK Gala. But this year, Wheelock will take on a new role as the Director’s Circle honoree for the Cancer Center’s first-ever virtual ArtBLINK Gala on Feb. 5, 2021.

Clinical trials serve as the bridge between research and patient care. They allow scientists to test a new drug, therapy or procedure before it becomes the standard, but how exactly do clinical trials work, why are they important and how is the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center working to make them more accessible for everyone?

Three years after leaving her home country of Nigeria, UAB doctoral candidate Zainab M. Shonibare is now studying gynecologic cancers in the lab of O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center scientist Mythreye Karthikeyan, Ph.D., in the hopes of bringing the results of her research to cancer patients and survivors across the world.

As the world adjusts to a new way of life in the shadow of a global pandemic, the higher risks faced by many cancer patients and survivors are now colliding with those associated with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

The Office of Community Outreach & Engagement at the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center celebrates its silver anniversary this year after 25 years of providing health advocacy and cancer education to communities across the state and the South as a whole.

To celebrate 2021 ArtBLINK Gala Director's Circle honoree George Wheelock III and his almost 40 years on the Advisory Board, the O'Neal Cancer Center revisits this 2008 story about Wheelock from the archives with fresh eyes and annotated updates on Wheelock's life.

In 2021, the Advisory Board of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center held its annual ArtBLINK Gala virtually for the first time. Now, with their second virtual ArtBLINK in the books, the board looks back on its history and the history of the gala.

The O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center’s 35th Annual ArtBLINK Gala raised $767,000 for the Cancer Center’s Fund for Excellence. The annual gala is the culmination of its advisory board’s yearly fundraising campaign and has served as one of the city’s premier social events for more than 30 years.

Shannon E. Meier, a doctoral candidate at UAB, gravitated toward cancer after testing out three different areas of research during her student rotations. In 2016, she decided to join the O’Neal Cancer Center in its mission to become a national leader in cancer research.

The relationship between cancer research and clinical care has never been more important, but the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center and the UAB Health System are leveraging the best of both worlds by aligning their missions under the leadership of the Cancer Center through the Cancer Service Line.

Young New Jersey state trooper Barry Sleckman never thought he would be trading in his basement repair shop for a lab. Now the new director of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, Sleckman has since built his career on the pursuit of what he calls “great things.”

UAB will launch the Pat and Jean Sullivan Comprehensive Head and Neck Cancer Survivor Care Program in 2020 — the first effort of its kind in the country.

Dedicated community leaders helped the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama make a record donation to the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Cancer research has traditionally focused on killing the disease, but Bhatia is a pioneer in proposing the next question entirely: What happens to her patients once cancer is gone?