Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson

03/10/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Tamara LaCouture, Chief of Cancer Services for the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson Health - New Jersey, for this well-deserved honor! 🎉

03/08/2026

Happy International Women’s Day! Today we are celebrating the amazing women of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Whether in the clinic, laboratories, or out in the community, they are making a difference and we are grateful for their expertise, compassion, and leadership.

03/06/2026

The Geriatric Oncology Center of Excellence, led by Dr. Andrew Chapman, studies how to improve the lives of older adults with cancer. Older adults with cancer are more likely to experience other health conditions like memory problems, physical weakness, and depression, and they may take many different medications. Through research, Dr. Chapman developed a method to understand whether an older adult’s cancer care is meaningful and valuable to them and their family. This is important because the risk of cancer increases with age and the majority of cancer survivors are over the age of 65.

Learn more about senior adult oncology care at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center: https://www.jeffersonhealth.org/clinical-specialties/senior-adult-oncology-center

03/04/2026

Experts from Jefferson's Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center discuss head & neck cancer and human papillomavirus (HPV) during a live conversation and Q&A.

03/02/2026

MEET THE TEAM MONDAY:

What’s your name and role and how long have you worked here?
My name is Andrea. My role is mammogram scheduler for the Mobile Screening Van. I have been in this position for a little over a year now, but I have been with Jefferson Health since 2021.

What's your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is helping to ensure that women in the community are getting the care that they need!

If you weren't in this field, what career would you have chosen?
I think if I was not in this field, I would still be in the healthcare field. I would still like to be involved in women’s health to some capacity, possibly more focused on psychology.

What is your favorite hobby or activity outside of work?
My favorite hobbies outside of work include doing various crafts (journaling, embroidery & making jewelry) & watching movies.

What’s one country you would love to visit and why?
I would love to go to Italy to do sightseeing & try all their wonderful food!

03/01/2026

Although diet and nutrition can play an important role during cancer treatment, it can be challenging for patients to change their diet.

“It’s difficult to advise patients on what to eat. While we provide support from oncology dietitians, that adds another appointment, and patients often have questions when they’re cooking at home and can’t easily reach a dietitian,” the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center's Dr. Nicole Simone recently told Becker's Hospital Review.

Dr. Simone is leading a clinical trial evaluating the use of AI chatbots to help support dietary plans and offer tailored guidance for cancer patients.

She and her colleagues set about to determine whether AI could provide personalized advice across different budgets and cuisine types.

“We wanted to see if thoughtful prompt design could generate accurate, supportive diet plans tailored to cancer patients, including considerations like calorie targets and socioeconomic factors. It was important to us that the tool could suggest options across different budgets, whether that’s $10 a day or $100 a day,” Dr. Simone explained.

Read more about the trial: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/ai/can-ai-bridge-a-cancer-care-gap/

02/28/2026

GI cancers present complex challenges for patients and care teams alike. For Rare Disease Day, we’re highlighting insights from Dr. Babar Bashir, Medical Director of Early Phase Research at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, which offers early phase clinical research through the Sarah Cannon Research Institute.

Dr. Bashir’s article underscores the importance of coordinated, multidisciplinary care and precision-guided decision-making for patients with appendiceal and small bowel cancers, where standardized treatment pathways are limited.

That progress should not be limited to the most common diagnoses. Patients facing rare cancer deserve to feel seen and to benefit from continued innovation in research and care.

Read more: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/shining-light-rare-gi-cancers-5-things-you-didnt-know-babar-bashir-jlqse/?trackingId=1%2FkzjBzVQiS2grc6aFKxsA%3D%3D

Rare Disease Day shines a light on patients diagnosed with conditions that are often overlooked or underserved. This is especially true for rare gastrointestinal (GI) cancers such as appendiceal cancer and small bowel cancer.

02/27/2026

Dr. Zachary Schug’s lab studies how cancer cells use nutrients to spread and grow. This is important because every cancer cell needs building blocks and energy to make more cancer cells.

Cancer cells steal nutrients that healthy immune cells need, which weakens the immune cells and makes it harder for them to do their job of fighting disease.

The Schug lab works to find ways to stop cancer cells from using these nutrients which prevents cancer growth and allows the immune system to stay healthy.

02/25/2026

Dr. Keith Leaphart, Humana Chief Health Equity and Community Impact Officer at Jefferson Health, discussed cancer and its impact on the Black community on this week's episode of In The Community with Jefferson on WURD Radio. Guests included Jefferson Health – Einstein Philadelphia Hospital medical oncologist Dr. John Leighton and Dr. Amy Leader, PhD, MPH, Associate Director for Community Outreach & Engagement at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.

02/23/2026

1. What’s your name and role and how long have you worked here?
My name is Rebecca. I've worked at Jefferson for six years and, currently, I am the In-Reach Program Manager for the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement.

2. What's your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is working with community advocates! Part of my job is to find ways for people to share their cancer story with SKCCC cancer researchers. It is very powerful to see how sharing such personal and emotional experiences can really influence the future direction of research.

3. If you weren't in this field, what career would you have chosen?
I would be a chef! I love to cook and bake and dreamed of going to culinary school when I was younger. I spent the pandemic perfecting my cheesecake recipe, and now it’s my required entry item for most family parties.

4. What is your favorite hobby or activity outside of work?
I love to read. Outside of work, you will most often find me with a book in hand or exercising outside.

5. What’s one country you would love to visit and why?
Norway or Iceland so I can see the Northern Lights. I got a glimpse of them from my front yard in that rare solar storm in 2024, so now I am even more interested in the full experience.

02/21/2026

An estimated 30% to 50% of breast cancer patients discontinue hormone therapy earlier than prescribed due to side effects, highlighting the need to improve medication adherence.

A study from researchers at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center found that smart pill bottles nearly doubled the odds of adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy at 12 months in patients with early-stage breast cancer.

Dr. Steven Manobianco, a breast medical oncologist at Jefferson who presented the data at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, spoke to The American Journal of Managed Care about the trial:

Innovative smart pill bottles significantly enhance adherence to oral adjuvant endocrine therapy in early-stage breast cancer, noted Steven Manobianco, MD.

02/18/2026

It’s an honor to care for our patients and a joy to be there while they ring the bell! 🔔💗

Recently, breast cancer patient Maureen Connor gathered with friends, family and her Jefferson care team to ring our Bell of Hope to celebrate the end of her chemo therapy at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson - Cherry Hill.

"I can't say enough about my doctor, Yvonne Dansoa, my treating chemo nurse, Andrea Cirillo, and the whole team at Jefferson who always made me feel comfortable and were smiling when they saw me," said Maureen. "And that started as soon as I would arrive. The front desk folks were always smiling too, and the parking attendants never forgot my name. I'm so glad I picked Jefferson.

'It was such a pleasure to celebrate with Maureen and her family and friends on her big day," said treating chemo nurse, Andrea Cirillo. "We witness the many struggles that our patients go through, so it is truly a joy to watch them get to ring that bell. Maureen is not only a patient to me, she truly is a friend now."

Learn more about our cancer center in Cherry Hill: https://bit.ly/4bjStUn