A New Frontier on Cancer: How bold new ideas are transforming our approach
with Anna Barker, Ph.D
Director, Transformative Healthcare Networks
Co-Director, Complex Adaptive Systems Initiative
Professor, School of Life Sciences
February 5, 2013
7 p.m.
ISTB4, Marston Theater 185
Register online to attend
abstract: In 2013, about 1.6 million Americans will hear the chilling phrase “you have cancer.” Worldwide, over 10 million people will die annually from cancer by 2020. These statistics are expected to worsen as baby boomers age, predicting a global healthcare disaster. Medical research has made limited progress and can treat some forms of the disease successfully; but for many types of cancer, and the patients who suffer, not much has changed. A decisive paradigm shift has begun, in which cancer is regarded as a complex adaptive and evolving system, demanding new ideas and disruptive innovation to achieve lasting breakthroughs. This new “order” will require the convergence of cancer biology and clinical oncology with the physical, engineering and computational sciences. The challenge is to implement the necessary changes in both the culture of research and clinical practice.
biosketch: As former Deputy Director of the National Cancer Institute, Anna Barker has an unrivalled authority to assess the strengths and weaknesses of mainstream cancer research. Now a Professor in ASU’s School of Life Sciences, she is also Director, Transformative Healthcare Networks, and Co-Director, Complex Adaptive Systems Initiative. Barker was the driving force behind the creation of 12 NCI-funded Physical Science-Oncology Centers, and is a strong proponent of bringing novel scientific insights to bear on the problem of cancer. In 2009 she was named one of “The 100 People Changing America” by Rolling Stone Magazine.
