February 8, 2010

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees appointed Robert J. Cerfolio, M.D., to the James H. Estes Family Endowed Chair for Lung Cancer Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) at its Feb. 5 meeting.

The James H. Estes Family Endowed Chair was established in November 2009 to recruit or retain an exceptional researcher, academician and clinician who will further the lung-cancer research efforts of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center and help provide better treatments while searching for a cure.

A retired businessman who lives in Tuscaloosa, Estes and his family have generously funded cancer-research initiatives at UAB, and Estes himself is a lung-cancer survivor.

Cerfolio joined the faculty of the UAB Department of Surgery in 1996, becoming professor and section chief of thoracic surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 2006. Cerfolio has written extensively about new, more effective and less painful ways of performing lung surgery, and he has served as a member of the Editorial Board of the journal Chest and as a reviewer for The New England Journal of Medicine and Journal of Thoracic Oncology, among other publications. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Cerfolio has served as a visiting professor in hospitals around the world, including China, England, Germany, Sweden and Brazil.

About the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center
The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center is among the 40 cancer centers in the nation to meet the stringent criteria for the National Cancer Institute's comprehensive designation. The center is a leader in groundbreaking research, reducing cancer disparities and leading-edge patient care.