Left to right: Winston Wallin, Douglas Yee, M.D., John Kersey M.D., and Barbara Forster

The appointment of Masonic Cancer Center Director Douglas Yee, M.D., to the John H. Kersey Chair in Cancer Research was celebrated at an event sponsored by the Minnesota Medical Foundation September 17 at the McNamara Alumni Center. The celebration was an opportunity for Masonic Cancer Center leaders to thank faculty, staff, and friends from the community who contributed to the Kersey Chair.

Senior Vice President for Health Sciences Frank Cerra, M.D., led the event's program and spoke about the significance of the Kersey Chair in supporting the continuity of strong leadership at the Masonic Cancer Center. Cerra said endowed scholar positions like the Kersey Chair are among the highest forms of recognition for faculty and are crucial to the academic success of the University.

Dr. Yee with his son, Scott; his wife, Janet Smith Yee; and his mother, Dr. Ming Ting.

Kersey Chair co-leaders and longtime supporters of the Masonic Cancer Center Barbara Forster and Winston Wallin also spoke at the celebration. Both expressed gratitude for Kersey's leadership and their enthusiasm for Yee to build on the Masonic Cancer Center's success. They also thanked Kersey Chair committee members Tucker LeBien, Ph.D., and Norma Ramsay, M.D., for their help in establishing the chair.

During the program, Cerra gave Kersey and Yee medallions commemorating the establishment and the appointment of the Kersey Chair. Yee thanked supporters of the Kersey Chair and said it will provide the Masonic Cancer Center with crucial support in advancing and accelerating the pace of cancer research. Kersey said he was deeply honored by the chair and that he was confident the Masonic Cancer Center would continue to make great strides in preventing and treating cancer.

The endowed John H. Kersey Chair in Cancer Research will support future Masonic Cancer Center directors as they strive to improve the lives of cancer patients from Minnesota and the rest of the world. While over $2 million has been raised to fulfill the requirements for the John H. Kersey Chair in Cancer Research, the Masonic Cancer Center is still working toward the goal of raising $2.5 million, because the University will match all funds up to that point. Contact Cathy Spicola, c.spicola@mmf.umn.edu, 612-625-5192, if you are interested in supporting the Kersey Chair.