During the Wyss Family Symposium, hosted by Nationwide Children’s Hospital May 11-12, Jonathan L. Finlay, MB, ChB, FRCP, Director of Neuro-Oncology at Nationwide Children’s, will be announced as the first recipient of The Elizabeth and Richard Germain Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cancer.
Dr. Finlay is also a professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He is an internationally recognized expert in pediatric brain tumors and has authored or co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications in leading medical journals and more than 80 review articles and book chapters. Prior to coming to Nationwide Children’s, Dr. Finlay was the Director of the Neural Tumors Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and served as Professor of Pediatrics, Neurology & Neurological Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California. Between 1982 and 2003, he held faculty positions in Pediatric Oncology at Stanford University (1980-1982), University of Wisconsin-Madison (1982-1987), University of Pennsylvania (1987-1989), Cornell University/Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (1989-1993) and New York University (1997-2003).
Dr. Finlay is the principal investigator of the “Head Start” series and this will be the fourth sequential “Head Start” study he will conduct during the past 25 years. One of the first research initiatives to operate within the newly-established National Experimental Therapeutics (NEXT) Consortium, the “Head Start 4” protocol is a tailored radiotherapy-avoiding approach to the treatment of newly diagnosed malignant central nervous system tumors of young children. For many children, the treatment of this type of cancer can have long-term negative impacts on their development and overall health. The goal of this particular initiative is to use a brief but intensive course of chemotherapy for these young children to both improve the cure rate and the quality of survival through minimizing long-term side effects.
Maintaining a passionate community service presence in Columbus, Libby and Rick Germain are part of numerous charitable and philanthropic initiatives. As an alumnus of The Ohio State University, Libby proudly supports several university advancements and efforts, including serving on The Ohio State Foundation Board. Additionally, both Libby and Rick have been active members of the Trinity United Methodist Church, offering their services in various capacities, such as serving on the Foundation Board. Professionally, Rick has more than 35 years of experience in the automotive industry and serves as president of Germain of Columbus.
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Note to editors: Dr. Finlay resides in Worthington, OH, 43085