Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson

08/14/2026

Most people have never heard of HTLV-1 (Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus), but it affects millions worldwide, with some of the highest rates found across parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

What you need to know:
✅ Most people carry the virus without ever knowing - no symptoms, no illness
✅ The virus spreads through breastfeeding, sexual contact, blood transfusions, and shared needles
✅ In a small percentage, it can lead to serious conditions decades later, including a rare form of a blood cancer
✅ Early awareness and screening can help communities access care sooner

🤝 We're proud to partner with ACANA to bring free HTLV-1 screening to their community. Knowledge is the first step toward protecting families and future generations.

Join us at our next free HTLV-1 screening day:
ACANA: 5530 Chester Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19143
Tuesday, August 18 from 10AM to 3PM

08/07/2026

Circulating tumor cells are cancer cells that break off from a tumor and can be found in the bloodstream. Dr. Hushan Yang’s lab studies ways to find and analyze these cells in the blood. Understanding the makeup of these cells can help predict cancer risk and identify the right treatment for patients. The team is also using these cells to explore how cancer presents in people of different races and how they may respond differently to treatments.

08/06/2026

Bringing cancer science and healthcare – to the county fair!

🔬🧫🧬🥼🧪 ➡️ 🐐🚜🐮🎡

Community Science Day is an annual event organized by our Office of Community Outreach and Engagement and Community Advisory Board (CAB) members to increase the public's interest and engagement in science and cancer research and offer health and wellness resources around cancer prevention and screening, access to care, and clinical trials.

This year’s Community Science Day was held on July 25 at the Burlington County Farm Fair! We were joined by two of our CAB member organization, the Food Bank of South Jersey and the Camden Coalition, and volunteers from the cancer center including scientists, physicians, and students.

Visitors to our table got to use a Geiger counter to measure and compare the amount of radiation that everyday objects like bananas give off and meet JeffersauRx, our Tyrannosaurus rex known as Jeffy 🦖

Thank you to all of our volunteers for helping to create such fun activities to inspire community members and make science cool and to everyone who stopped by to learn more and have fun with us at the Burlington County Farm Fair NJ!

07/29/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Robin Wilson-Smith, Jefferson Health - New Jersey’s primary and specialty care clinician of the quarter! 🎉

Congratulations to Robin Wilson-Smith, DO, Gynecologic Oncology Medical Director, on being recognized as Jefferson Health's primary and specialty care clinician of the quarter in New Jersey.

For 17 years, Dr. Wilson-Smith has combined exceptional patient care with compassionate leadership, helping build a thriving team dedicated to delivering the highest standard of care. Her commitment to putting patients first, as well as mentoring and supporting her colleagues, continues to make a lasting impact every day. Please join us in celebrating this well-deserved recognition!

07/25/2026

“Tanmaxxing” is trending on social media, encouraging excessive sun exposure to get the deepest tan possible. But following what you see online can increase your risk for skin cancer later in life and dramatically accelerate skin aging.

⬇️ Check out our comments to learn more about how tanning is damaging and what you can do to protect your skin from Dr. Suephy Chen, Chief of Dermatology Services at Jefferson Health - Abington.

07/24/2026

We’re so proud to support the Chinatown Clinic and bring cancer screenings to the community.

Earlier this month, the Jefferson Health Chinatown Clinic—under the wing of Dr. Yvette Calderon’s Department of Emergency Medicine—held its annual mammogram event. Sidney Kimmel Medical College students recruited area residents to participate and partnered with the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson’s Mobile Cancer Screening Unit to provide on-site care.

“It was a privilege to help connect patients with accessible preventive care,” says second-year medical student Joria Le. “The experience deepened my understanding of the challenges patients may face, such as language and transportation barriers. Through collaboration between the Chinatown Clinic and the SKCCC mammogram screening teams, I gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of community-based outreach and meeting patients where they are to make healthcare more accessible and equitable.”

On behalf of colleagues Dr. Lim Wong and Yawei Song, Jefferson’s Dr. Wayne Bond Lau expressed gratitude to the volunteers, medical students and SKCCC partners, including Dr. Amy Leader, Nicola Cianci and Kristine Pham, for supporting the Chinatown Clinic’s mission to help community members in need.

“They’re all absolutely pivotal to this ongoing women’s health initiative,” says Dr. Bond Lau, director of the Chinatown Clinic and associate dean of SKMC’s Office of Student Affairs.

07/22/2026

A routine mammogram led to an unexpected diagnosis for Grace: she had stage 0 breast cancer. But because she didn’t put off her annual screening, Grace’s care team at Jefferson Cherry Hill Hospital caught it early.

Read her story 👇

07/21/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 Making Research CLEAR (Community Learning and Experience About Research) advocates: Arlene, Christine, Imani, and Joni!

The Making Research CLEAR program aims to educate and empower community members by pairing them with a Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center scientist to give them a behind-the-scenes look at the cancer research process. The program also helps scientists incorporate the community’s voice in their research.

Special thanks to Jefferson researchers Erik Blomain, MD, PhD; Jun He, PhD; Jianping Li, MD; and Zachary Schug, PhD, for their time and dedication to the program.

07/17/2026

Dr. Meyer’s lab studies a deadly blood cancer called Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Their main goals are to 1) understand how current treatments work in individual AML patients and 2) find new medications and treatment combinations to help patients with AML. To answer these questions, the Meyer lab works closely with the doctors at Jefferson who treat AML and share the ultimate goal of curing patients of AML.

07/17/2026

We had a doggone good time in Cherry Hill earlier this week at our Pawsitive Puppy Therapy event! 🐾

Thanks to everyone who could join us and to Puppies & Yoga for bringing the very adorable special guests 🐶