Inova Fairfax Hospital Physician Testifies Before Senate Subcommittee for Cancer Research Funding

Falls Church, VA – (July 23, 2010) – John C. Elkas, MD, gynecologic oncologist, Inova Fairfax Hospital, has gone to Washington to push for funding for ovarian cancer research. On June 23, Dr. Elkas presented testimony in front of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Defense regarding the 2011 fiscal year funding for the ovarian cancer research program (OCRP) at the Department of Defense.

“We, the members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, along with our patients who are battling ovarian cancer every day, depend on the DoD OCRP research funding,” said Dr. Elkas. “It is through this type of research funding that a screening and early detection method for ovarian cancer can be identified which will allow us to save many of the 15,000 lives that are lost to this disease each year.”

In attendance at the hearing were Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-MS). Dr. Elkas shared with the Subcommittee the impact that he has seen of research from the DoD OCRP on women and their families. He referenced some of the research that has been funded by the OCRP and how it is important to the discovery of an early detection method for ovarian cancer. He also talked about how the program is under funded and over subscribed, with a pay line of less than 10 percent.

Senator Inouye shared with Dr. Elkas that his wife had died of liver cancer and that he was personally committed to working on the funding levels for these DoD cancer research programs. Dr. Elkas was joined at the hearing by the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA) in requesting that the Subcommittee provide $30 million in funding in FY 2011 for the OCRP program.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research. Inova provides a healthy environment for its patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians by prohibiting tobacco use on its campuses.