11/25/2025
From the Desk of Louis Weiner, MD, Director of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
****************************************************************
'Greetings on a fairly nice autumn weekend. Last week was highlighted by a brief short-notice visit from the Karolinska Institutet. But what I’ll remember moving forward was the Ruesch Center events that followed later that week.
Led by John Marshall, the Ruesch Center now functions as the home of our GI Cancer Working Group. On Thursday afternoon, we had a strategic retreat of that working group, with about 60 attendees spanning all GI cancer-relevant disciplines, including a strong surgery contingent, hospitals in D.C., and people based in New Jersey as well. There were some general talks, with three very vibrant and impactful disease-focused breakout groups. It was a truly invigorating and interesting event.
That evening, we repaired to the Riggs Library on campus for the GI Luminary Awards. The awardees were Katie Couric, TV journalist and co-founder of the nonprofit Stand Up To Cancer; Carolyn “Bo” Aldigé, who founded the Prevent Cancer Foundation; Anil Rustgi, director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University; Scott Kopetz, a GI medical oncologist from MD Anderson Cancer Center; and Margaret Tempero, a renowned pancreatic cancer researcher at UCSF. I had the privilege of introducing Margaret, an old friend and colleague, and we shared anecdotes about each other from the old days. It was a marvelous evening.
Friday marked the start of the annual Ruesch Symposium at 2115 Wisconsin Avenue. It was a simply marvelous meeting, rich with talks and interactions. Then the patient-facing event was held on Saturday. I was unable to attend the latter event, but if it was anything like the two days that preceded it, it was great as well.
We all get caught up in the chaos of our day-to-day lives, but sometimes it is very helpful to stop, take stock, and marvel at what is being accomplished. Starting with an idea 20 years ago, and with the generous support from the Ruesch Family Foundation and other donors, the Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers has evolved into a genuine force at the national and international levels. Its members certainly talk about science, patient care and population impact, but they also walk the walk and lead the way.
In case you have not yet figured this out, John Marshall is an absolute treasure who exemplifies all that is great about Georgetown University and the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. He has made this progress happen through the force of his intellect, his unwavering focus, and just enough honey (with a hint of bourbon) to be the driver of all this progress. We are lucky to call him our own.
Be like John. Make the world a better place this week.'
Lou
Categories Weekly post Convening Post author By Dr. Louis M. Weiner Post date November 23, 2025 Greetings on a fairly nice autumn weekend. Last week was highlighted by a brief short-notice visit from the Karolinska Institutet. But what I’ll remember moving forward was the Ruesch Center events that...
