A Message from the Director

K. Thomas Robbins, MD

Welcome to the web site of the SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute at SIU. Our mission is to serve the people of central and southern Illinois by addressing their present and future cancer care needs through a comprehensive approach of education, research and patient services. The Cancer Institute’s charge includes working to upgrade the standard of cancer care in downstate Illinois communities. It is a community-based patient care, research, education and outreach program established to improve cancer care.

The information outlined on our web site covers the key elements of the cancer program, each of which serves toward achieving our mission. Our physicians and health workers provide expert care covering all aspects of oncology. This is achieved through multidisciplinary clinics where medical, surgical, psychosocial, and ancillary services are available to the patient at the same location and point of time.

Our researchers are striving to unravel many of the mysteries of cancer. Our faculty members are engaged in basic cancer research and a large number of our clinical faculty members are devoted to clinical oncology research. We have identified two major themes along which our research projects are directed: cancer molecular genetics and early detection, and experimental therapeutics and prevention. Collectively, our cancer researchers have successfully achieved external grant support in excess of $10 million.

While there remains much to be done, we are excited about the future growth and the momentum that has begun. Please take a moment to explore our web site and learn about the Cancer Institute. We welcome your comments and suggestions. We look forward to serving the people of downstate Illinois.