American Cancer Society Elects National Officers

American Cancer Society
Sunday, 12 November 2000

The American Cancer Society, the nation's leading voluntary health agency, today elected officers at its annual meeting held at the Chicago Marriott Hotel, in Chicago, Illinois.

Dileep G. Bal, MD, MS, MPH, of Fair Oaks, California, was elected president. Dr. Bal is Chief of the Cancer Control Branch in the Department of Health Services in the State of California, where his responsibilities include the statewide tumor registry and programs in cancer prevention and control.

Dr. Bal was the principal investigator on several National Cancer Institute and Centers for Disease Control projects. His branch also oversees the new tobacco tax-funded Breast Cancer Screening Program, which is the largest public sector effort of its kind; California's statewide population-based tumor registry; the significant new Cancer Research Program, and the new Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section with its innovative diet and cancer-related projects.

Dr. Bal is also clinical professor at he medical school of the University of California at Davis.

Before coming to California, Dr. Bal was the Director of the Pima County Health Department in Tucson, Arizona, and a faculty member of the University of Arizona, College of Medicine. Dr. Bal was born in New Delhi, India where he received his medical training. He has graduate degrees in Public Health from Columbia and Harvard Universities.

At the American Cancer Society, Dr. Bal is a member of the National Board of Directors as well as a National Officer. He is Honorary Life Member and Past President of both the Sacramento Unit and the California Division.

Dr. Bal and his wife Muktha, son Vijay, and daughter Sarah reside in Fair Oaks, California.

Dr. Bal succeeds Gerald L. Woolam, MD, director of surgical oncology, Joe Arlington Cancer Research and Treatment Center, and clinical professor of surgery at the Texas Tech University School of Medicine. Dr. Woolam becomes the Society's immediate past-president.

John C. Baity, a senior partner in the New York-based international law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, was elected chairmen of the board. Mr. Baity has been an active volunteer with the American Cancer Society for more than 30 years. In addition to his extensive involvement with the Society, Mr. Baity is chairman of the Finance Committee of the Union Internationale Contre le Cancer (UICC) and a member if its Executive Committee and Council.

Mr. Baity received his A.B. degree in economics in 1955 from the University of Michigan and his J.D. in 1958. He resides in Greenwich, Connnecticut with his wife Patricia and their three sons.

Mr. Baity succeeds John R. Kelly, PhD, director of the Navy Family Service Center at Gulfport, MS. Dr. Kelly is the Society's immediate past-chairman of the board.

Elected president-elect is Robert C. Young, MD, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Young is president of Fox Chase Cancer Center. He is internationally known for his work in the treatment of lymphoma and ovarian cancer, and is past president of the International Gynecologic Society and past president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Recently, Dr. Young was appointed by the Institute of Medicine and Commission of Life Sciences to the National Cancer Policy Board.

H. Fred Mickelson, of Newberg, Oregon, was elected chairman-elect. Mr. Mickelson is president of Coral Creek Consultants, Inc., which focuses on management consulting and coaching at the senior executive level. Mr. Mickelson has been an active volunteer with the American Cancer Society for more than 30 years. In addition, he has been a volunteer leader of 14 community, state, and national non-profit organizations in the past ten years.

David M. Zacks, of Atlanta, Georgia, was elected vice chairman. He is a litigator and health care lawyer in the Atlanta-based law firm Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP. He is a member of the American Cancer Society Board of Directors.

Andrew W. von Eschenbach, MD, was elected first vice-president. Dr. von Eschenbach is director, Program Center – Genitourinary Cancer, The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He has been an active volunteer with the American Cancer Society for more than 20 years and is a member of the National Dialogue on Cancer, a collaborative partnership dedicated to eradicating cancer as a major public health problem.

Elected second vice-president is Mary Simmonds, MD, FACP, of New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. Dr. Simmonds is a medical oncologist practicing with the Central Pennsylvania Hematology and Medical Oncology Associates. She is also Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine of Penn State University College of Medicine.

Lay officers include treasurer Jean B. McGill of Tulsa, Oklahoma, president of Noble Investments, Inc., a private investment firm, and secretary Thomas G. Burish, PhD, of Nashville, Tennessee, a professor at Vanderbilt University in the Department of Psychology and the Department of Medicine and provost of the University. The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service. For information about cancer, call toll-free anytime 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit the American Cancer Society website.

For more information, or to contact American Cancer Society, see their website at: www.cancer.org