Kenneth Cardona named inaugural holder of Reynolds Professorship
JUNE 2022
Following Pat Reynold's passing in 2005 from soft tissue sarcoma, her family established the Patricia R. Reynolds Endowment for Sarcoma Research at Winship Cancer Institute in 2008. In continued dedication to giving others access to world-class sarcoma expertise and research, the family has now created the Patricia R. Reynolds Professorship in Sarcoma at Winship, and Kenneth Cardona, MD, is the inaugural holder.
Dr. Cardona is highly regarded in the sarcoma field. He leads national research efforts in the study of sarcoma as the chair of the National Cancer Institute's ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group and is the principal investigator of the United States Sarcoma Collaborative. Internationally, he is an active member of the multi-institutional TransAtlantic Retroperitoneal Sarcoma Working Group, a collaborative that involves sarcoma experts from over 40 centers across the world, and the Desmoid Working Group, which consists of more than 50 international sarcoma experts, patients, and patient advocates. Additionally, he is on the editorial board of the soft tissue sarcoma section of Annals of Surgical Oncology, Journal of Surgical Oncology, and Oncology.
"The more we learn about sarcoma the more there is to learn," says Charles Staley, MD, surgical oncology division chief. "This underscores why physicians like Ken, who are focusing their medical careers on sarcoma, and families like the Reynolds, who focus their philanthropy in this area, could not be more vital."
"I am deeply honored to be the inaugural holder of the Patricia R. Reynolds Professorship and am grateful to the Reynolds family for championing the cause of sarcoma," Dr. Cardona says. "My focus and hope every day is to make a difference for those diagnosed with this rare disease."
The Reynolds Professorship celebrates Pat Reynold's life as a beloved wife and mother and active community volunteer. Born in Bristol Somerset, England, she lost both of her parents at a young age and lived with her grandparents. At age 18, she immigrated to the United States to live with her older sister in Wisconsin. Soon after becoming an American citizen, Pat met Tom Reynolds, who would become the love of her life. Together they started what is today known as Peach State Truck Centers. When Pat died, the couple had been married for 50 years.
Ann Reynolds Crouse says while her mother wouldn't want to be in the spotlight, "I definitely can see my mother cheering on the effort to make a difference for others. And if she were still with us, she also would be a very hands-on volunteer… playing the Winship piano, serving cookies to patients and staff in the lobby, etc. She genuinely lived a life centered on doing any good you can."