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, was announced as the first recipient of the Elizabeth and Richard Germain Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cancer.
Dr. Finlay is also Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He is an expert in pediatric brain tumors and has authored or coauthored 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, and Neurological Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.
Dr. Finlay is the principal investigator of the “Head Start” series and is readying to conduct the fourth “Head Start” installment. 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 both to improve the cure rate and the quality of survival through minimizing long-term side effects. ■
