VUMC Earns CEO Cancer Gold Standard Recognition

Vanderbilt Medical Center has been accredited with the CEO Gold Standard™ certification, recognizing VUMC’s commitment to the health of employees and family members by certifying its efforts to meet an exceptionally high standard of cancer prevention, screening and care guidelines.

The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center took the lead in seeking accreditation as an indication of its commitment to reducing the burden of cancer for its own staff and colleagues.

“The commitment of Vanderbilt-Ingram and other National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers to patient care and cutting edge cancer research is our driving force in the fight against cancer,” said William C. Weldon, CEO of Johnson & Johnson and chair of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, the nonprofit organization of cancer-fighting CEOs that created the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, many of its designated cancer centers, the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and leading health professionals.

The CEO Roundtable was founded in 2001 when former President George H.W. Bush challenged a group of executives to “do something bold and venturesome about cancer within your own corporate families.” The CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ calls for companies to evaluate their benefits and culture and take extensive actions in five key areas of health and wellness to fight cancer in the workplace. To earn accreditation, a company must establish programs to reduce cancer risk by discouraging tobacco use, encouraging physical activity, promoting a healthy diet, detecting cancer at its earliest stages and providing access to quality care, including the availability of clinical trials.

“We are committed to providing strategies for cancer prevention and treatment for our own employees and colleagues,” said Jennifer Pietenpol, Ph.D., director of Vanderbilt-Ingram. “Our mission to alleviate death and suffering from cancer starts at home, here on the Vanderbilt campus.”

In addition to sharing information with employees about healthy lifestyle choices, VUMC provides a free fitness center for employees. The Cancer Center operates the Cancer Information Program, featuring a toll-free hotline staffed by oncology nurses who address questions about cancer treatment options and clinical trials at VICC. The nurses can be reached at 1-800-811-8480.

Vanderbilt-Ingram is the fourth NCI-designated cancer center to achieve Gold Standard accreditation, according to Pietenpol, B.F. Byrd Jr. Professor of Oncology. VICC is ranked among the top 10 centers in NCI funding and generates more than $150 million in total annual research support. The center is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and is consistently recognized among the best places for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report.