Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center

08/22/2025

The Community Advisory Board (CAB) retreat in Kearney, hosted by the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center Office of Community Outreach and Engagement, was a powerful reminder that meaningful progress in cancer research and care happens when science and lived experience come together.

Survivors, community leaders, healthcare professionals, and advocates gathered with a shared mission: shaping the future of cancer research, care, and outreach in the communities we serve. What makes this retreat extraordinary isn’t just the energy in the room—it’s the commitment to ensuring that every step forward reflects the needs of our communities.

Our CAB members—survivors, health advocates, and rural health educators—bring perspectives that keep our work grounded and relevant. Together, we:
📍 Connected science with community wisdom.
📍 Explored ways to make cancer information more accessible, expand cancer prevention and control efforts, and boost participation in research that listens, learns, and partners with the community every step of the way.
📍 Strengthened partnerships to ensure research reflects the voices of those we serve

We are deeply grateful to our Community Advisory Board and Internal Advisory Board members for sharing your insights, leadership, and dedication to advancing health equity across Nebraska and beyond.



Two Rivers Public Health Department Mary Lanning Healthcare My Sister's Keeper Nebraska Nebraska Extension OneWorld Community Health Centers, Inc. Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare System Nebraska Cancer Coalition - NC2 Ponca Health Services

08/22/2025

What an inspiring day at the 2025 Pediatric Cancer Research Symposium! 🎗️

This year's focus on hematological malignancies brought together a phenomenal lineup of speakers and advocates. We were honored to have Jeffrey P. Gold, MD (University of Nebraska System President), Chanda Chacón, MPH, FACHE (President & CEO of Children's Nebraska), and State Senator Danielle Conrad provide opening comments and participate in panel discussions.

Symposium highlights included:

🔬 Keynote address by Paul Liu, MD, PhD from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NIH)

🎯 Featured presentations by James Armitage, MD (University of Nebraska Medical Center - UNMC) and Holly Lindsay, MD, MS (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus)

💙 A powerful philanthropic panel featuring Amanda Eggen, PhD (The RUNX1 Research Program), Aly Goedeken, CFRM (Angels Among Us), Joe Falter (The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society), and Kylie Dockter (Team Jack)

🏆 Recognition of outstanding trainee research through poster awards

Thank you to co-chairs Kate Hyde, PhD and Kyle Hewitt, PhD for helping organize this incredible gathering that strengthens our commitment to advancing pediatric cancer research!

08/20/2025

Meet Kathy Folk—cancer fighter, medical pioneer, and community advocate all in one.

Kathy recently became the first person in Nebraska to receive outpatient CAR-T cell therapy for lymphoma, trading a ten-day hospital stay for the comfort of home recovery. It's her fifth treatment approach since her 2012 diagnosis, and she's optimistic this breakthrough therapy will be the one.

What makes Kathy's story even more remarkable? She's one of the Clinical Trials Community Scientists, trained by our Community Outreach and Engagement team to help ensure Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center clinical trials are truly community-informed. While she receives cutting-edge care, she's also working behind the scenes to ensure other patients can access these same opportunities—removing barriers and making sure our research speaks to diverse communities.

A patient today, an advocate always. Watch Kathy's story here:

08/11/2025

The Community Outreach and Engagement Office at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center has developed Cancer InFocus — an interactive data dashboard designed to transform how we understand and address cancer in our region. By providing up-to-date cancer incidence and related health data, Cancer InFocus empowers researchers, health organizations, and community leaders to:

-Create compelling, easy-to-share infographics that translate complex data into accessible visual presentations.
-Inform local cancer control planning and resource allocation with evidence-based insights.
-Enhance community engagement, strengthen research and grant applications through targeted, data-driven strategies.

Cancer InFocus is a powerful resource for anyone committed to improving health outcomes in our region.



Cancer InFocus: https://go.unmc.edu/cancerinfocus
Infographics: https://go.unmc.edu/fpbcc_coe_infographics

08/08/2025

The Cattlemen's Ball of Nebraska, Inc. recently presented a generous check for $1,234,927 to the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in support of life-saving cancer research.

We want to express our deepest gratitude to the incredible Cattlemen’s Ball community — your unwavering support since 1998 has been nothing short of inspiring. Because of your kindness and commitment, groundbreaking and transformative research at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center has been made possible, giving hope and healing to countless lives.

Thank you for standing with us on this journey. Together, we are making a real difference.

08/08/2025

The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center is coming to Webster County! 🎉Join us next Saturday for health assessments and cancer screenings open to the community. Our team will be on-site to answer your questions and share resources.

There's never a better time to focus on your health than right now ... or next Saturday ... at the Webster County Cancer Bash & Health Fair! There will be discounted tests, health assessments and screenings; giveaways; and more. Lab services and radon test kits will be cash or check only.

Plus: Give back to your local community by bringing food donations for the WEBSTER CO. FOOD PANTRY!

Event sponsored by Nebraska Medicine Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center; Mary Lanning Healthcare - Morrison Cancer Center; South Heartland District Health Department; and your very own Webster County Community Hospital.

08/05/2025

🎉 World’s First Allogeneic CAR T-Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Patient Jan Janisch-Hanzlik shares her experience as the first person in the world to receive a groundbreaking new therapy for multiple sclerosis. Along side her care team, she reflects on what it means to be part of a medical first—paving the way for future advancements in MS treatment and offering new hope to patients worldwide.

08/01/2025

🫁 Today is World Lung Cancer Day!

At the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, our researchers are making groundbreaking discoveries in the fight against lung cancer. Their innovate work is revealing how lung cancer evades treatment and developing new ways to destroy tumors for lasting remissions!
Read about Imayavaramban Lakshmanan, PhD's recent study: https://www.unmc.edu/newsroom/2025/05/30/unmc-researchers-find-promising-target-for-lung-cancer-treatment/

Our Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) team works to bring these advances to all Nebraskans through screening programs 🔎 and education 📚

COE website: https://www.unmc.edu/cancercenter/outreach/index.html
Lung cancer resource: https://www.cancer.gov/types/lung

The multidisciplinary team recently published their findings in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

07/22/2025

🧠 Today is World Brain Day! This year's theme, "Brain Health for All Ages," emphasizes the importance of neurological care from preconception through late adulthood.

💬 Hear from Dr. Sidharth Mahapatra, who co-leads the Brain Tumor Working Group alongside Dr. Nicole Shonka at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, as he shares how our collaborative team of physicians and scientists University of Nebraska Medical Center - UNMC and Children's Nebraska is working to transform outcomes for patients with brain and spinal cord tumors.

Nebraska ranks among the highest in the nation for pediatric and adult brain tumors, but together we're developing novel ways to treat and cure these cancers!

Learn more: https://www.unmc.edu/cancercenter/research/brain-tumor-working-group.html

07/21/2025

Calling cancer survivors in Nebraska!

The ROSE Study at the University of Nebraska Medical Center is inviting cancer survivors living in Nebraska to share their experiences to help shape the future of survivorship care. You can participate by completing a survey. Compensation is available after completion of the survey.

See if you qualify for the cancer survivorship experience study by completing the Eligibility Screener: https://go.unmc.edu/rose_study_fpbcc_fb

To learn more about the ROSE study, please visit the website: https://bit.ly/ROSE-cancer-survivorship-experience-study

This advertisement is part of a research study conducted by the University of Nebraska Medical Center in collaboration with the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. Our IRB approval number is IRB #0174-25-EX.

07/18/2025

Such incredible generosity! Thank you Baxter Subaru Omaha and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Nebraska! 💙

This is what caring looks like!

Baxter Subaru Omaha and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Nebraska once again donated warm and fuzzy blankets and care kits of personal items to our Resource and Wellness Center at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center!

Subaru staff members also added handwritten notes of support for patients.

The donation was made possible by the Subaru Loves to Care program, which partners Subaru dealerships nationwide with local health care facilities.

Thank you, Baxter and LLS Nebraska!