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UI Health Care surgeon named cancer liaison physician

A surgical oncologist in the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa recently accepted a three-year appointment as cancer liaison physician.

James R. Howe V, M.D., also serves as section leader in surgical oncology and endocrine surgery and is an associate professor in the UI department of surgery. The Cancer Liaison Program is an integral part of the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons.

Howe is now a member of a national network of more than 1,600 cancer liaison physicians who provide leadership and support the approvals program and other Commission on Cancer activities at the local level. Howe specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with malignant diseases. He also works voluntarily with the American Cancer Society to develop cancer control initiatives. Howe also holds the post of Iowa state chair for cancer liaison physicians.

Howe attended medical school at the University of Vermont and served a residency in surgery at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, followed by a fellowship in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He is board-certified in surgery, with clinical expertise in surgical oncology, endocrine surgery, gastric surgery and colorectal surgery.

The Commission on Cancer is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to reducing the morbidity and mortality of cancer through education, the establishment of standards and monitoring of the quality of cancer care.

The Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center is Iowa's only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center. NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers are recognized as the leaders in developing new approaches to cancer prevention and cancer care, conducting leading edge research and educating the public about cancer.

University of Iowa Health Care describes the partnership between the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and UI Hospitals and Clinics and the patient care, medical education and research programs and services they provide. Visit UI Health Care online at www.uihealthcare.com.