The Stephen E. and Catherine Pappas Neuro-Oncology Center
Thankful for the care her late husband, Stephen E. Pappas, received at the Mass General Brain Tumor Center and wishing to honor his memory, Pappas’s wife, Catherine, made a significant contribution to the Cancer Center. In recognition of this gift, the Stephen E. and Catherine Pappas Center for Neuro-Oncology in the Yawkey Center was dedicated in November 2004.

“This gift honors my husband, Stephen,” says Mrs. Pappas. “With it I expect that Mass General will increase the medical choices and the quality of care for people fighting these terrible diseases.”

John W. Henson, MD, formerly Executive Director of the Neuro-Oncology Program, treated Pappas throughout his illness. Henson says Mrs. Pappas’s gift has had a “phenomenal impact” on virtually every aspect of the program—now headed by Director and Chief of Neurosurgery Robert L. Martuzza, MD, and Executive Director Tracy Batchelor, MD—from the quality of everyday patient care to the scope of neuro-oncology basic and clinical research.

For example, the gift has made it possible to bring together the entire multidisciplinary team of clinicians involved in the treatment of patients with brain tumors in a setting tailored to their specific needs. This not only makes care more convenient and comfortable for patients and families, but also fosters more collaboration among clinicians, which is especially critical in the care of patients with brain tumors. “Whereas we offered ‘virtual’ multidisciplinary care in the past, in our new home in the Yawkey Center, we offer truly multidisciplinary care to our patients,” says Henson.

This gift is also having a significant impact on both basic and clinical neuro-oncology research. For example, a fund was established that provides grants, awarded annually, to Massachusetts General Hospital scientists conducting research relating to brain tumors, providing them with the seed money necessary to gather data needed to apply for larger grants. Khalid Shah, PhD, who is investigating the potential role of stem cells in brain tumor treatment, is the first recipient of these research grants, which have attracted many worthy applicants.

In addition, Henson has been able to significantly expand his neuro-imaging research, which is focused on the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis and management of patients with brain tumors.

The gift has also made it possible to expand the neuro-oncology nurse practitioner (NP) program, including the addition of a much-needed third NP and the creation of an innovative NP research program.

“We are very grateful for Mrs. Pappas’s gift,” says Henson. “Her generosity is making it possible for us to acquire the critically needed resources to improve patient care and advance research that will help us find a cure for this disease.”

The Claire and John Bertucci Center for Genitourinary Cancers
John R. Bertucci is a successful businessman whose many achievements include serving as the chairman of the board, CEO, and president of MKS Instruments, a worldwide provider of process-control solutions for advanced manufacturing processes. He also serves as a board member of Carnegie-Mellon University, his alma mater; and as a member of the Executive Board of the Massachusetts High Technology Council.

Several years ago, Bertucci underwent treatment at the Cancer Center. He was impressed by and very grateful for the outstanding care provided by his team of physicians—Donald S. Kaufman, MD, William U. Shipley, MD, and Alex Althausen, MD.

Still, Bertucci felt that communication and collaboration could be enhanced and, as a result, patient care improved by bringing the healthcare team physically together in one location. As someone whose business depends on research and development, Bertucci also believed that research of genitourinary cancers at the Cancer Center needed to be expanded if real progress were to be made against these diverse and complex diseases.

After numerous discussions with Kaufman, Bertucci and his wife, Claire, decided to make several major gifts to the Cancer Center for the purpose of improving patient care and supporting research of genitourinary cancers. The Claire and John Bertucci Center for Genitourinary Cancers in the Yawkey Center was named in recognition of their extraordinary generosity.

“Today cancer treatment is very complex, involving the expertise of many specialists,” says Kaufman, director of the Bertucci Center for Genitourinary Cancers. “The Bertuccis’ vision and commitment has made it possible for us to bring together the entire healthcare team—including urologists, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists, as well as nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, clinical research staff, and others—in a comfortable, spacious new setting in the Yawkey Center, so that we can provide truly multidisciplinary care to our patients.”

Kaufman adds that the close proximity of the healthcare team has other important benefits, such as fostering teamwork and encouraging the exchange of new ideas, which is vitally important to improving patient care and expanding clinical research.

A significant percentage of the Bertuccis’ gift was earmarked for the Claire and John Bertucci Cancer Research Fund, which supports basic and clinical cancer research projects. To date, six grants have been awarded to Mass General researchers by a multidisciplinary committee of distinguished Mass General physicians and researchers that meets monthly to review innovative research proposals.

“We are so appreciative of the support, commitment, and vision of these individuals and families for their incredibly generous gifts, which are having a major impact on patient care and research,” says Cancer Center Director Daniel A. Haber, MD, PhD.

“The fight against cancer requires many resources, so the gifts we receive—both large and small—are critically important to our ability to fulfill our mission,” says Bruce A. Chabner, MD, Clinical Director of the Cancer Center. “We are extremely grateful to everyone who supports the Cancer Center.”

The Tucker Gosnell Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers
Thomas (Tucker) C. Gosnell was only in his early 40s when he learned he had biliary cancer, a rare form of gastrointestinal cancer. He was diagnosed in the summer of 2001 and passed away just a few months later.

His family, including his widow, Silvia Gosnell; his sister Elizabeth Gosnell Miller; and his parents, Thomas H. and Georgia Gosnell, wanted to honor his memory by advancing cancer research and enhancing the care of patients with hepatobiliary cancers. Committed to making a contribution that would have a significant impact on patient care and research, the Gosnell family made a major gift to establish the Tucker Gosnell Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers in the new Yawkey Center, which was dedicated in December.

According to David P. Ryan, MD, the center’s director, the Gosnell’s generous gift is, indeed, having a major impact on the care of patients with gastrointestinal cancers, as well as on research focused on these diseases.

A significant percentage of the Gosnell’s gift went toward the establishment of the Tucker Gosnell Hepatobiliary Cancer Program. Ryan points out that this is the first program among the Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals, and one of only a few in the nation, to focus exclusively on the treatment and research of hepatic (liver) and biliary (bile duct tree) cancers.

A major thrust of the Gosnell Hepatobiliary Cancer Program is to improve patient care by centralizing and better coordinating the care of patients with these cancers, which in the past has been decentralized. Another is to support basic research that will shed light on these diseases, as well as increase clinical research aimed at prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment.

Thanks to the Gosnell family’s gift, clinical research of gastrointestinal cancers has increased significantly. For example, investigations are now under way to explore the potential role of newer imaging technologies, such as PET (positron emission tomography) in the early diagnosis of patients with hepatobiliary cancers, as well as studies of agents that may reduce the risk of these diseases in high-risk individuals.

Translational research, in which discoveries made in the laboratory can be put into clinical practice as rapidly as possible, has also expanded. For example, Cancer Center researchers are now working to identify genetic markers for hepatobiliary cancers that may potentially be used for early diagnosis or as targets for new treatments.

The Gosnell family’s gift has also provided funding to create a national tissue and serum bank for research purposes, and to develop a Web site that will be a valuable resource for patients, physicians, and researchers around the world.

The Cancer Center was also able to recruit Sridhar Ramaswamy, MD, who is conducting research on the genetics of cancer using methods in genomics and computational biology.

For additional information, visit our main Development Office or call:

Development Office
Massachusetts General Hospital
100 Charles River Plaza, Suite 600
Boston, MA 02114-2792
Phone: 617-726-2200

Kate Todd
Director of Development, Cancer Center
Phone: 617-726-0402
Fax: 617-726-7661