Recently, my family and I have gotten to see MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) from the inside. It’s a remarkable place, whatever your vantage point. As the mom of a new Hodgkin’s lymphoma patient I felt, the moment we walked in the door, this entire, incredible team would have our b,ack. Starting with the employee volunteer greeters, you see that employees at MDACC don’t just work there, they volunteer there – out of an abiding passion for the work.

Speaking of employees: during the Bastrop/Smithville fires last year, employees of the two MDA research facilities in the area manned their posts for days at the expense, in several cases, of their own homes.

As a communicator it has struck me that everything in the building (from social media communications to blogs and newsletters for families, patients, employees to the signage in the cafes and restrooms) speaks with one voice and with total consistency. It’s ALL about “making cancer history.”

Now, I don’t expect Sarah Newson, Vice President for Communications, to elaborate on any of those stories when she speaks to us on June 28. I hope she’ll tell us more about the origin and evolution of that incredible tagline and how, because of it, MD Anderson stands apart from almost every other hospital in the world.

Just between us, the other reason they got to where they are is because of their people. Some are colleagues, like Laura Harvey, Megan Maisel, Jennifer Texada, who’ve spoken to us before. But there are many more where these came from. This is a team worth knowing better and one great opportunity for that will be this Thursday, at Brennan’s.

by Elaine W Krause
Outgoing President, IABC Houston