A Unique Collaboration of
Scientists and Clinicians
The Virginia Prostate Center (VPC) was
established in 1992. The primary objective of the VPC is to provide advanced
diagnostic techniques and effective treatment options to patients in Hampton
Roads and throughout Virginia who are suffering from prostate cancer and
other urologic diseases. The ultimate goal of the Center is to find a cure
for prostate cancer. A major collaborative effort which brings together a
broad-based team of health-care experts has been undertaken to accomplish
this goal.
The Center's Scientific Director, Dr. O. John Semmes, leads a group of highly
skilled, dedicated professionals who approach the problem of urologic cancers
from different perspectives, sharing problems and possible solutions with each
other. This synergistic approach to basic research, clinical practice and
patient care is central to the mission of the VPC.
Physicians with expertise in urology, surgery,
pathology, medical oncology (chemotherapy and biological therapy) and
radiotherapy are joined by basic scientists with expertise in immunology,
cell biology, molecular biology, pharmacology, biochemistry and
histopathology. Oncology nurses, data managers, medical and research
technicians and secretaries complete the team.
The idea for the Center was conceived by
George L. Wright, Jr., Ph.D., a researcher and tumor immunologist;
Paul F. Schellhammer, M.D., a urologic oncologist; and Dr. Anas M. El-Mahdi,
a radiation oncologist. Although the Center is a relatively recent
development, the groundwork for it was established in 1974 when the three men
began a collaboration to evaluate better ways of treating prostate cancer and
other urologic diseases.
In 1993, the trio was joined by
Donald F. Lynch, Jr., M.D. and in 1998 by
Robert Given, M.D. Both have completed specialized training in
urologic oncology. Mark Shaves, M.D., assumed a
leadership role in radiation oncology within the clinical arm of the Virginia
Prostate Center in the latter part of 2000.
In 1999, Michael Fabrizio, M.D., joined the team.
Upon completion of his residency at Thomas Jefferson University in
Philadelphia, he moved to Johns Hopkins University and the Brady Urological
Institute. He was Instructor in Urology and completed a fellowship in
Endourology (minimally invasive surgery, laparoscopy) under a pioneer in the
field. He started the laparoscopic kidney donor and laparoscopic radical
prostatectomy in Hampton Roads in 1999 and 2001, respectively. More
recently, he established a surgical program utilizing the da Vinci surgical
robot for prostate cancer surgery and other procedures.
In 2006, Dr. Raymond Lance, an M.D.
Anderson-trained urologic oncologist, joined the Center. He is also trained
in laparoscopic surgery and da Vinci robotic cancer surgeries. He also has
dedicated research duties in the laboratories at the VPC at Eastern Virginia
Medical School.
Over the years, the team has earned
national and international recognition for its expertise in the study and
treatment of prostate cancer. The research, clinical and patient care
programs of the team have been identified by Eastern Virginia Medical School
and the Sentara Health System as one of the top urologic cancer programs in
Virginia and the eastern United States. Today, the Virginia Prostate Center
is a partnership of Eastern Virginia Medical School, where basic research
laboratories and programs are located, and Sentara Cancer Institute, where
clinical research is conducted and patient care services are provided by
medical school faculty.
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