Bone Marrow Transplant Program Article in the OC Register

Again, not a good look.
(Trying to) Save Face, Dean Cesario:



Dear Colleagues,

Today's Orange County Register ran an article on UCI's Bone Marrow Transplant Program. The paper will have you believe that the program is failing and that its leadership is divided. Again, we find ourselves in the unfortunate position to tell you that there have been omissions and incomplete truths reported about UCI and its faculty.

It's very important for the UCI community to know that the reporters at the Register were provided the following information about our bone marrow transplant program, but they chose not to include it in today's
article:

University of California, Irvine has an active bone marrow transplant program with excellent patient outcomes. Since 1995, UCI has provided
127 bone marrow transplants. In the last five years (since Jan 2001), we've performed 43. Forty-two of the 43 survived for 100 days or more after transplant. Thirty-six of the 43 are still living.

UCI Medical Center is the only university hospital and National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Orange County. At UCI, patients receive a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to medicine that ensures the best continuity of care. Our physicians are respected leaders in hematological disorders and are highly regarded in their fields. A trained team of professional nurses and support staff complete the team to ensure that our patients have quality care and psychological and social support at all times.

Every patient who has needed a bone marrow transplant and qualified for a transplant at UCI has received one. UCI is not a designated Center of Excellence, as defined by Medi-Cal but it continues to support patients who qualify for BMT procedures and/or other promising treatment options. Several other bone marrow transplant programs in Southern California are not designated as Centers of Excellence and they are also providing this much needed service to their patients and to their community.

We are not FACT accredited (Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy) but this accreditation is voluntary and BMT programs are not required to participate. The UCI bone marrow transplant program is recognized by the American Association of Blood Banks, International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry, American Society for Clinical Pathology, and a member of five other National Cancer Institute-sponsored cooperative oncology groups, which allow access to clinical trials sponsored by NCI.

Regretfully, today's article alluded to many things that were unfair and disheartening to our faculty and staff - including the implication that there is something wrong with a doctor working at multiple locations. By having positions at both UCI and CHOC, Dr. Leonard Sender is able to provide his expertise to both adults and children in the community. We are looking at developing a closer working relationship with CHOC as it is to the benefit of the community to share the experience and knowledge of these two institutions. Dr.
Sender's ties to UCI Medical Center are strong. He completed both his residency and internship here and we are very proud to have him on board.

As disappointing as it may be to see negative news about UCI in the press again, we stand behind our physicians and our trained team of professional nurses and support staff that comprises the bone marrow transplant program. Let's continue to be proud of our many accomplishments and focus on achieving our mission as a premiere university medical center. We continue to train the physicians of tomorrow and support our dedicated UCI employees who provide high-quality patient care each and every day.

Thank you all for your support and loyalty to the organization.

Sincerely,

Thomas C. Cesario, MD
Dean, College of Health Sciences and School of Medicine