Medical Director for Cancer Programs at CPMC to Receive Humanitarian Award

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 23, 2014

Mohammed Kashani-Sabet, M.D., a physician with Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation and medical director for the Center for Melanoma Research and Treatment at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC), will be honored with the sixth annual Humanitarian Award from the Washington, D.C.-based Melanoma Research Foundation on May 28. The Humanitarian Award is presented to those in the local community who have committed to fighting melanoma through exemplary patient care, cutting-edge research and scientific leadership.

“Through his tireless dedication to research and to his clinical practice, Dr. Kashani-Sabet embodies the commitment that this award represents,” said CEO of CPMC Warren Browner, M.D., M.P.H. “Patients throughout California and beyond have benefited from his skills and accomplishments as a physician and scientist.”

Dr. Kashani-Sabet is an internationally recognized dermato-oncologist whose clinical focus is on the care of patients with cutaneous malignancies, specifically melanoma and cutaneous lymphoma. His federally funded laboratory research program at the CPMC Research Institute (CPMCRI) focuses on the development of novel biomarkers for melanoma and the identification of novel targets for cancer therapy. CPMC’s Center for Melanoma Research and Treatment, headed by Dr. Kashani-Sabet, integrates his CPMCRI research to develop effective combination therapies for aggressive melanomas.

His team uses genome-wide approaches to identify genes and molecular pathways linked to the development and progression of cancer, leading to a clearer picture of how to best treat melanoma with newer, more targeted therapies.

The wider application of Dr. Kashani-Sabet’s research on signaling pathways that underlie cancer progression will help create new approaches to the treatment of solid tumors (including melanoma, breast cancer, glioblastoma, and lung cancer), either alone or in combination with targeted therapies.

Dr. Mohammed Kashani-Sabet has worked with other physician and administrative leaders to create a single unified vision for CPMC’s cancer programs and services.

“Our goal is to continue to grow this service line and provide a comprehensive array of nationally recognized cancer programs and services,” Dr. Kashani-Sabet said.

The research and patient care initiatives at CPMC’s Center for Melanoma Research and Treatment—one of the largest melanoma programs in the U.S.— are making important strides in the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma.

Dr. Kashani-Sabet has served as a senior scientist at CPMCRI since 2009. Prior to joining CPMC, he was a professor of dermatology and the Zackheim Endowed Chair in Cutaneous Oncology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). A board-certified dermatologist, he received additional training in medical oncology at UCSF.

The Melanoma Research Foundation will present the Humanitarian Award to Dr. Kashani-Sabet at the 6th annual Wings of Hope for Melanoma San Francisco gala on May 28. The gala will be held at The Bently Reserve located at 301 Battery St. in San Francisco. The gala is designed to recognize true heroes in the melanoma community, raise awareness and much-needed funding for melanoma research. In addition to giving the MRF’s Humanitarian Award during the galas, the foundation presents Courage Awards to people who have shown tremendous strength in their battles with melanoma.

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About California Pacific Medical Center
At San Francisco’s California Pacific Medical Center, we deliver personal, hands-on care to every single patient, every single day. As one of California’s largest private, community-based, not-for-profit, teaching medical centers, we research the most up-to-date treatments, hire the most qualified individuals, and practice the most modern, innovative medicine available. We deliver high-quality expert care with kindness and compassion in acute, post-acute and outpatient services, as well as preventive and complementary medicine. We also provide disease counseling, family support and wellness treatments. Like us on Facebook, watch us on YouTube and follow us on Twitter.

About Melanoma
Melanoma is one of the fastest-growing cancers in the United States and can strike men and women of all ages, all races and skin types. With a one-in-50 lifetime risk of developing melanoma, nearly 77,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with the disease in 2014, resulting in almost 10,000 deaths. Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25 to 29 years old and the second most common cancer in adolescents and young adults 15 to 29 years old.

The majority of melanomas occur on the skin; in fact, melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. Melanoma can also occur in the eye (ocular, or uveal melanoma), in mucous membranes (mucosal melanoma), or even beneath fingernails or toenails.

About the Melanoma Research Foundation
The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) is the largest independent organization devoted to melanoma. Committed to the support of medical research in finding effective treatments and eventually a cure for melanoma, the MRF also educates patients and physicians about prevention, diagnosis and the treatment of melanoma. The MRF is an active advocate for the melanoma community, helping to raise awareness of this disease and the need for a cure. The MRF’s website is the premier source for melanoma information seekers. More information is available at http://www.melanoma.org. Find the MRF on Facebook and Twitter.

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