Cancer Center director honored

Joseph V. Simone, M.D., director of the UF Shands Cancer Center and physician-in-chief for cancer services at Shands at UF, received the 2008 Association of American Cancer Institutes Distinguished Service Award.

The award recognizes Simone's contributions to the nation's cancer community. Simone directed the Institute of Medicine's effort to promote and improve quality care for cancer patients. His leadership has influenced public opinion and pushed Congress to address issues of patient care. He has developed and implemented effective research programs and management systems that are essential to today's comprehensive cancer center.

For the past eight years, Simone has been the president of Simone Consulting Co., which advises organizations on cancer program quality and development. He also founded the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Quality Oncology Practice Initiative and is a columnist for Oncology Times.

Before coming to UF, Simone was physician-in-chief of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He was also the director of St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, where he spent most of his medical career.

Simone received the award in October at the 2008 AACI Annual Meeting in Chicago. Lance Armstrong, shown here with Simone, was also honored at the event, as was Sen. Edward Kennedy.