 |  |  |  |  |  |
|
believe & achieve; Cancer is complicated. When it comes to one of the most important health issues in New Mexico, Dr. Cheryl Willman has kept her long-term goal simple: Defeat it. "I'm a two-time cancer survivor," says Willman. "So I understand the fear and terror that comes from being told you've been diagnosed with cancer." Willman is the director and chief executive officer of the University of New Mexico Cancer Research & Treatment Center and the winner of the prestigious 2007 Spirit of Achievement Award. Dealing with cancer in the medical field and on personal terms, Willman has devoted her career to bringing world-class cancer research and care to New Mexicans. "Every New Mexican deserves world-class care," Willman says. "And during that treatment process, people suffering from cancer deserve to be as close to the love and support of friends and family as possible." Impassioned by research and driven to save lives, Willman and her team of more than 175 physicians and scientists at the UNM Cancer Center are pushing the boundaries of cancer-related science and technology. All the while, Willman has been working to turn New Mexico into a state-of-the-art cancer center. After taking the reins of the UNM Cancer Center in 1999, Willman sought to turn the program into one of the nation's top cancer centers. In 2005, in what Willman considers her greatest accomplishment, the National Cancer Institute designated the center as one of the nation's 60 premier programs. The designation put the center in the elite ranks of clinics such as Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York and M.D. Anderson in Houston. The following year, U.S. News & World Report distinguished UNM Cancer Center as one of "America's Best Cancer Hospitals." Willman's personal research - backed by $16 million from the National Cancer Institute and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - focuses on leukemia causes and cures. In the past four years, Willman has recruited more than 40 physicians to UNM. "The community is very lucky to have her," says Breda Bova, senior adviser to the president at UNM and winner of last year's Spirit of Achievement Award. "She's grown the program, she understands the needs of New Mexico and she's great." Willman was born in Hartford City, Ind., and earned her medical degree at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. She came to UNM as a resident in anatomic pathology in 1981, then rose through the ranks to become a tenured faculty member and a renowned researcher. Willman's curriculum vitae is jampacked with awards, accolades, achievements - a testament to her devotion to the Albuquerque community - but she says it's the future that keeps her motivated. This month, Willman broke ground for a new 190,500-squarefoot, $90 million facility on Lomas near University NE. It is scheduled to open in early 2009. Willman says she wants to make cancer treatment a more holistic experience. The emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their families are extremely important, she says. "Cancer patients have very specific needs, and not all of them are medical," Willman says. The mission "is to make sure that we support and treat the whole person and not just their cancer." The new complex will have a rooftop suite where patients can receive chemotherapy in the fresh air with a view of the Sandia Mountains. There will be "oversized" exam rooms, valet parking, concierge services, saltwater aquariums and a four-story light chimney. "In the next five years we're going to expand to state and regional," Willman says. "Our job is not just to provide state-of-the-art care and research. It's to be out in the communities to really overcome the problems with cancer." If you go GRAPHIC: Dr. Cheryl Willman, winner of the 2007 Spirit of Achievement Award, is proud of the recognition the UNM Cancer Center is receiving as a state-of the-art treatment center. "Every New Mexican deserves world-class care." |
