Cancer Today Nears Fifth Anniversary
When the first issue of Cancer Today—the magazine for cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers published by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)—rolled off the press nearly five years ago in December 2011, it marked a new stage in the AACR’s outreach to the public.
Jonny Imerman, a survivor of testicular cancer, was featured in the Fall 2012 issue.
The AACR had already published a lay-friendly magazine called CR (short for Collaborations-Results) from 2006 to 2010. If you’re counting, CR and Cancer Today, at five years each, represent a decade-long AACR commitment to presenting news and information about cancer to the public in a clear, accurate, and unbiased way. Without the support of the AACR, however, Cancer Today’s success would not be possible.
“Cancer Today plays a vital role in fulfilling the AACR’s commitment to educating the public about the complexities of the disease and how research is accelerating progress for cancer patients,” said Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), chief executive officer of the AACR. “Everywhere I go, cancer survivors and their caregivers, and patient advocates, tell me how important Cancer Today is to them as a source of information and inspiration. I offer my sincere congratulations and appreciation to our editorial team for their innovative approach to the magazine’s content.”
Cancer Today’s motto is “Practical Knowledge. Real Hope.” By offering cancer science updates, honest appraisals of real-life issues like treatment side effects and financial stress, and inspirational profiles of former patients who are now accomplishing great things after a diagnosis of cancer, Cancer Today empowers readers to be active and involved in their treatment and survivor experiences.
From 2011 to 2013, Cancer Today had executive editor Jessica Gorman at its helm. Kevin McLaughlin succeeded Gorman as executive editor in 2013 and has worked to continue to raise the bar in editorial and design excellence. In 2015, William G. Nelson, MD, PhD, joined Cancer Today as the magazine’s first editor-in-chief. Nelson, who writes a column in each issue, is also the director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Since February 2016, he has overseen a 37-member Editorial Advisory Board that includes luminaries from cancer research, clinical practice, and patient advocacy. The board meets regularly to discuss the latest developments in cancer and propose new story ideas for the magazine.
Emily Bennett Taylor battled back from metastatic lung cancer. She and her twin daughters are featured in the current issue of the magazine.
“Cancer Today seeks to both deliver definitive information about cancer to those who confront the disease and to provide glimpses into future innovations arising out of cancer research—an almost impossible literary task,” said Nelson. “But the editors and advisers have succeeded spectacularly to create one of the best and most accessible magazines about cancer in the world. I am grateful to all who contribute to each Cancer Today issue and proud to be associated with its mission.”
Looking to the future, McLaughlin is excited about the magazine’s growing digital presence.
“In early 2017, we will roll out a new Cancer Today website that will be responsive and also feature daily updates and more video content,” McLaughlin said. “In addition, our growing social media presence, our e-newsletter, and other initiatives will allow us to reach even more readers who are hungry for accurate, timely cancer information.”
McLaughlin also wants to broaden the print magazine’s presence in the cancer community. By the end of this year, Cancer Today will be distributed at more than 100 patient, advocacy, and public events.
“Our best-kept secret is that we distribute copies of Cancer Today for free at patient and advocacy gatherings and other public events,” said McLaughlin. “In addition, we ship magazines at no cost to cancer centers, community hospitals, and medical practices.”
Editor’s Note: To subscribe to Cancer Today, click here. Physician practices, health care facilities, and patient advocacy groups can request free subscriptions of 10 or more copies by emailing a request to [email protected].
