Wilmot Cancer Institute

02/12/2026

Surprise! 🎉 Clayton Berardi's 80th birthday fell on a day he had a check-in with his team at WCI Webster - so his daughter surprised him with special cupcakes at his appointment! This allowed him to celebrate his birthday with his Wilmot team.

Happy birthday, Clayton! 🥳

02/10/2026

Joining the University of Rochester wasn't just a new job for Tanya Mayadas - it was a homecoming.

Mayadas, PhD, grew up in Rochester and attended URochester before following a mentor to Boston.

Now back home, she is the new chair of Microbiology and Immunology and director of the inaugural cross-campus Institute for Immunological Science. In these roles, she'll work closely with Wilmot to study science that could impact immune-boosting treatments to fight cancer.

She's excited not just to be home, but to be working in a place dedicated to building collaboration and community.

02/09/2026

Very proud of our Palliative Care team! ❤️

“The best Palliative Care program I’ve ever seen.”

Congratulations to our Palliative Care team for earning high praise after its eighth consecutive Joint Commission Advanced Certification for Palliative Care! The one-day survey in January led to compliments on the breadth and depth of the clinical team’s collaboration, regional growth, educational efforts, quality improvement processes, and research programs.

Kudos to the entire team and thank you for your dedication to quality care and innovation! About our Palliative Care program: https://urmc.info/palcare

02/06/2026

We're going red for heart health! ❤️ Members of teams in Batavia, Canandaigua, and Dansville donned red in honor of National Wear Red Day.

It's especially important for cancer survivors to pay attention to heart health! If you're a cancer survivor wondering about your heart disease risk, talk to your oncology team or your primary care provider about any concerns.

02/06/2026

Heart health matters for cancer survivors! ❤️

Dr. Susan Dent and Dr. Amit Bansal, both with our Cardio-Oncology clinic, went on 1039 WDKX to talk about the connection between heart health and cancer - everything from how to keep our hearts healthy to what patients should know during and after cancer treatment.

02/04/2026

As an NCI-designated cancer center, we are proud to be leaders in cancer research and care. Our mission is to provide world-class treatment and care, through expert and innovative medicine, science, and education, for any patient burdened by any cancer within our region and beyond.

02/03/2026

What makes Wilmot Cancer Institute special? For Surgical Oncologist Ryan Fields, MD, it's all about the people. 🤝

He joined URMC in July 2025 as chair of the Department of Surgery, and he's also taking on a role at Wilmot to help bridge lab-based science with clinical research.

He's one of four top recruits who joined Wilmot since it became designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He and others were highlighted in Wilmot's recent Dialogue magazine.

02/03/2026

February is Gallbladder and Bile Duct Cancer Awareness Month. While these types of cancer are rare, we are proud to have a team dedicated to helping those diagnosed.

Put a 💚 in the comments to join us in showing support for those impacted by these cancers!

February is also Cancer Prevention Month. We can all take steps to reduce our chances of many types of cancer, including:
🚭 Quitting smoking
🍺 Reducing alcohol consumption
🥦 Consuming a healthy diet with veggies and fruits
☀️ Using sunscreen when outdoors

01/31/2026

We're taking action to educate on radon! ☢️

Cait Fallone Sharma (right), a research project manager at Wilmot who works with the UR Institute for Human Health and the Environment (IHHE), stopped by Caledonia Medical Center in Livingston County to drop off radon test kits to Dr. Catherine Przystal.

Each kit contains: a one-time radon testing kit, county-specific radon education materials, smoking cessation materials, and radon mitigation resources.

The Primary Care team will hand these out to patients who may be at risk of having radon in their home. This is important because long-term exposure to radon can increase a person's chance of getting lung cancer.

01/30/2026

Brrrr, it's cold outside! 🥶
What cold-weather tips would you offer people undergoing cancer treatment during the winter season?

01/30/2026

Congratulations to our own Dr. Louis "Sandy" Constine for receiving the 2026 Pediatric Oncology Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology! We look forward to celebrating this achievement at the ASCO annual meeting later in 2026.

Alongside Conquer Cancer Foundation, we congratulate the recipients of the 2026 ASCO Special Awards! These individuals have shown extraordinary dedication to the field of oncology.

Learn more: https://brnw.ch/21wZeW1

01/29/2026

Our researchers have a bone to pick with leukemia! 🦴 In a new study, they've made an interesting discovery related to bone health.

Last year, they learned that taurine - an amino acid found in our bodies and also in energy drinks and supplements - fuels leukemia.

More recently, they published a paper showing that as taurine becomes less available to other normal cells, it may lead to weaker bones in mice. This may be important for people with cancer who experience osteoporosis or osteopenia.

“If leukemia cells are rapidly using taurine and thus depleting levels of taurine in the bone marrow, it could explain why other cells that also rely on taurine for bone strength are coming up short," says senior author Jeevisha Bajaj, PhD. She's the senior author on the paper and is pictured here (right) with Christina Kaszuba, PhD candidate, a lab member who led the research.

The team continues to examine taurine to understand what happens when taurine is blocked and whether this could help suppress leukemia growth and support bone repair.