By Tony Farina
There are many sounds that can bring joy to the heart, like the first words out of your child’s mouth or the music score from your favorite movie. But perhaps there is one sound that may be the best of all for cancer patients and their loved ones, the Victory Bell in the lobby of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
You see, patients are invited to ring the bell to mark the end of treatment or the completion of another milestone. It is indeed the best sound of all to those families who have dealt with the pain and agony of cancer and the suffering that goes with it.
Even the learned and dedicated president and CEO of Roswell since 2015, Dr. Candace Johnson, who came to Roswell to lead translational research, can be deeply touched when she hears that bell ringing next to the stage in the lobby of Roswell’s cancer center in downtown Buffalo.
In a recent interview, this is what Dr. Johnson, leader of one of the best cancer center’s in the world, had to say about the bell ringing:
“My research drives me,” she said, “but research for research sake, just to publish it, just to sort of make some observation, I wanted my research to make a difference in patients. So, that’s what really drove me. I had this opportunity to help lots of people, and wow. When you walk through the lobby of this hospital and you hear somebody ringing that bell and you walk over because it is milestone in that patient’s life, and it’s hard not to stand there and get a little emotional about it.”
A little emotional for sure, even for the researcher and leader of a hospital with 4,300 employees, including 75 laboratory researchers, 250-300 MDs, 750 nurses, and 150-200 Advanced Practice Providers. And I should add a budget that was $200 million in 1999 and now exceeds $1.4 billion with the state support still at $105 million (or 7 – 8% of total budget) with significant additional funding from federal grants and foundations as well as clinical revenues and philanthropy (see Scott Bieler, president and CEO of West Herr Automotive Club and an extremely strong supporter of Roswell for years). Roswell Park has grown its market share and expanded its patient services, attributing the growth to successful recruitment and community outreach.
Dr. Johnson, who earned her doctoral degree in immunology from Ohio State University, joined the Roswell faculty in 2002 coming from her work as deputy director of basic research at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and professor of pharmacology and medicine at the university’s school of medicine. She now leads Roswell that serves about 50,000 active cancer patients in Western New York and is noted for providing art and music throughout the hospital to improve patient well-being.
The hospital that Dr. Johnson, the mother of twin sons, leads, was founded in 1898 by surgeon Roswell Park, and treats every type of cancer at every stage and consistently ranks as one of the best cancer centers anywhere.
The chair of the Roswell Board of Directors is Leecia Eve, daughter of former Deputy Assembly Speaker Arthur Eve, who was appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2023, and is the first woman and the first person of color to serve as board chair of Roswell.
Dr. Johnson, who intends to serve until at least 2030 after her recent five-year extension, says Board Chairman Eve is very tuned in to Roswell and Dr. Johnson says she meets with the chairman every Friday to make sure she is fully appraised of the state of affairs at Roswell. She described it as a very close working relationship between the chairman and the CEO and that’s certainly a strong sign of leadership functioning on all cylinders at the hospital that’s main purpose is to save lives.
Dr. Johnson speaks proudly of the Roswell community events like the Ride for Roswell every summer and the Tree of Hope Holiday Tree lighting ceremony, which goes back more than thirty years, sponsored by West Herr Automotive, providing hope and connection for patients, families, and staff. I, for one, have experienced both the Ride and the tree lighting ceremony with my daughter, Deanna, and our family and the enthusiasm and connections generated in those events certainly mean a lot to patients, staff, and families in sometimes challenging times.
Dr. Johnson earned her doctoral degree in immunology and she completed research and post-doctoral fellowships in immunology/cell biology at the Michigan Cancer Foundation, Detroit. She has authored or co-authored nearly 200 journal publications, book chapters and abstracts, and has been issued patents on the “Use of Pretreatment Chemicals to Enhance Efficacy of Cytotoxic Agents” and “Endothelial Specific Targeting.” Let me put it this way, Roswell is in good hands.
Roswell recently received an “exceptional review” from the NCI, the highest possible grade, based on research output, recruitment, clinical trials, community outreach, and high-quality publications. The list of accomplishments goes on and on and I’ll sum up by saying Roswell is indeed a very special community resource of which we can all be proud.
We can go back to the bell ringing moments which are just so overwhelmingly positive for all and even Dr. Johnson, the researcher and hospital CEO gets emotional at those times.
As she said, “It’s kind of hard not to stand there and get a little emotional about it.” And it certainly is the kind of emotion that we can all appreciate and applaud because patients and families are getting another chance at life. What could be more emotional than helping people get another chance.
And we must close by again noting the long support of Scott Bieler and the Scott Bieler Family Foundation which in their own words is committed to enhancing the quality of life in Western New York through generous support of educational, health, and community service programs. Many millions have built centers downtown, Amherst, and Niagara Falls to help Roswell save lives.
When you Ride for Roswell, Scott Bieler and Dr. Johnson will be with you all the way.
