Special Thanks from the President
Mays Cancer Center Annual Report
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our lives changed greatly in 2020. During the height of the global health crisis, schools, churches, restaurants, businesses, and non-emergency health care offices were closed. Many residents remained home to try to stop the spread of the deadly virus.
I am proud to say there is one place that did not close its doors or take even one day off from its mission to provide cancer diagnosis and treatment: the Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center. Cancer does not take a break because of a pandemic so neither did our outstanding team of physicians, nurses, researchers, other health care professionals and staff. They continued to provide cancer diagnosis and treatment during the pandemic while adhering to all safety protocols.
The entire team worked in partnership to create a new plan for providing care to their patients, who are immunocompromised so the threat of COVID exposure was even more significant for them.
I am especially grateful for Ruben Mesa, MD, FACP, who was named executive director of the Mays Cancer Center during this challenging time. This appointment broadens Dr. Mesa’s scope of responsibility for coordinating all aspects of cancer prevention, screening, care and survivorship with practice, education, and research across UT Health San Antonio.
Dr. Mesa will lead the integration and development of the inpatient cancer services for the new UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital. This expanded appointment is part of the organization’s longer-term strategy for the Mays Cancer Center to earn comprehensive status from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The cancer center is already an NCI-designated Cancer Center, which confirms it has met extensive NCI standards for cancer prevention, clinical services and research. Earning Comprehensive Cancer Center status signifies that additional rigorous NCI standards are met in all areas.
As part of its broad mission and to best meet the unique needs of the region’s Latino-majority population, the Mays Cancer Center serves to advance the science of cancer in Latinos with novel studies and programs. Dr. Mesa is one of very few Latino directors of an NCI-designated center in the U.S.
I am proud of the Mays Cancer Center and its dedicated employees and am grateful that they always put the best interest of their patients first.
With Great Respect,
William L. Henrich, MD, MACP
President, UT Health San Antonio
John P. Howe, III, MD, Distinguished Chair in Health Policy
Professor of Medicine
