Baptist Cancer Center’s Osarogiagbon named to National Cancer Institute’s Board of Scientific Advisors

MEMPHIS, Tenn., –Dr. Raymond Osarogiagbon, chief scientist at Baptist Memorial Health Care/director of the Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program and the Thoracic Oncology Research Group at Baptist Cancer Center, has been named to the National Cancer Institute’s board of scientific advisors for a five-year term, beginning immediately and ending June 30, 2027.

The board of scientific advisors provides advice on scientific program policy and progress, extramural program initiatives and the future direction of NCI's extramural research programs.

“I am honored to be appointed to NCI’s board of advisors,” said Dr. Osarogiagbon. “This is a testament to the innovative and lifesaving work we’re doing at Baptist and in the Mid-South.”

Dr. Osarogiagbon spearheads Baptist Cancer Center’s Mid-South Miracle initiative, a multifaceted program comprising seven components, to help reduce lung cancer deaths 25% by 2030 in the Mid-South. A community oncologist, Osarogiagbon serves as principal investigator for the Baptist Memorial Health Care/Mid-South Minority/Underserved NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) and is chair of the board of the Hope Foundation for Cancer Research.

The National Cancer Institute is the federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training. NCI leads, conducts and supports cancer research across the nation to advance scientific knowledge and help people live longer, healthier lives. As the leader of the cancer research enterprise, collectively known as the National Cancer Program, and the largest funder of cancer research in the world, NCI manages a broad range of research, training, and information dissemination activities that reach across the entire country, meeting the needs of all demographics—rich and poor, urban and rural, and all racial/ethnic populations. Specifically, NCI focuses on two broad roles: cancer research and training and support for cancer researchers.

Baptist Cancer Center provides world-class cancer care close to home throughout Baptist Memorial Health Care’s tristate service area of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. The center takes an interdisciplinary approach to patient care and offers treatment, research, support services, community education and the area's first genetic counseling and testing program for cancer. In addition, BCC has the Mid-South's first adult myelosuppression unit, which provides specialized care for patients who have received chemotherapy that interferes with blood cell production or stops bone marrow activity. In 2019, BCC was awarded a second $9 million research grant from the National Cancer Institute to continue building out clinical research infrastructure to expand lifesaving, leading-edge treatment across the Mid-South, including overcoming disparities in cancer care under the Minority/Underserved NCI Community Oncology Research Program, known as NCORP. BCC recently announced a multifaceted initiative called the Mid-South Miracle aimed at reducing lung cancer deaths in the Mid-South 25% by 2030. For more information, please visit baptistcancercenter.com or follow us on Facebook.