Vanessa Munoz
GOA is proud to announce Ashley Joyce as the first recipient of the Vanessa Munoz Nursing Scholarship. Vanessa Munoz was employed by GOA for 3 years before she passed away unexpectedly in May of this year. In her honor a scholarship for aspiring nurses has been established.
Ashley Joyce
The first recipient of this award is Ashley Joyce. Ashley has worked with all of the GOA physicians in her capacity as an OR Assistant and Video Technician at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, California. She is now furthering her education at Cerritos College School of Nursing. We wish her the best and look forward to working with her professionally after her studies are completed.
Dr. Mark Rettenmaier was the recent recipient of the 2011 “Circle of Care Award”. This recognition is provided by the Orange County CalOptima program to physicians who demonstrate ”…excellence in promoting access to health care” to the medically underserved.
Celebrity actor Bob Gunton has graciously agreed to attend the 6th Annual Womens Cancer Foundation (WCRF) Annual Gala at the Balboa Bay Club on 9/10/11. Mr. Gunton (“The Lincoln Lawyer”, “The Shawshank Redemption”) will sign autographs and take pictures with you, all to benefit research in gynecologic malignancies through the WCRF. For details and tickets to the event check out http://www.womenscancerfoundation.com
The GOA research arm, Womens Cancer Research Foundation, has received a $50,000 grant from the Dave Matthews Band. This generous grant will be used to further our efforts to improve the lives and cure rates of women diagnosed with gynecologic malignancies.
Hold the date! The 6th annual Women’s Cancer Research Foundation Benefit Gala will be held at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach, CA at 7PM on Saturday 9/10/11. Contact Carlina Thomas for more information and tickets (949) 642 5165, carlina.thomas@gynoncology.com.
Come to the Annual Underwriting Party for the Women’s Cancer Research Foundation, “Racing for the Cure”! This event is being held at the Schley Auto Museum in Orange Park Acres, CA on Saturday, 5/14/11 at 4 PM. Call Carlina Thomas for tickets and further information (949) 642-5165.
The WCRF is excited to announce that proceeds from the upcoming first annual ‘Judy Burton Swing for the Cure,’ will benefit the opening of new clinical trials. This event will be hosted in Spokane, Washington, this coming August 30th, 2011. A silent auction and fabulous ‘hole in one’ prizes will compliment the media blitz planned in an effort to bring greater awareness to gynecologic cancers. The WCRF will receive 100% of the proceeds and has been invited to attend and offer opening comments during the program regarding the need for gyn cancer research. For more information, contact, Carlina Thomas, Executive Director, WCRF at (949) 642-5165.
In honor of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, Pelican International (a maker of watercraft, winter and specialty outdoor equipment) will create a one-of-a-kind pink and teal kayak for specialty boat shows. They will also kick-off an employee gift/donation program on Valentines Day….all proceeds to benefit the Womens Cancer Research Foundation (WCRF).
GOA Physicians were awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the La Amistad Clinic in Orange, CA for 25 years of service to indigent and low income women. The staff of La Amistad Clinic, allied with Saint Joseph hospital, provides care for the underserved population of central Orange County. GOA physicians have a long history of caring for women with gynecologic cancers in this population.
GOA researchers, in a study funded by the Womens Cancer Research Foundation (WCRF), have demonstrated improved survival of women with ovarian cancer. All patients in the study group underwent aggressive primary surgical debulking followed by a chemotherapy regimen of initial weekly moderate-dose Taxol and Carboplatin and completed with prolonged consolidation therapy using a low dose of Taxol alone ( Abaid LN, Goldstein BH, Micha JP, Rettenmaier MA, Brown JV, Markman M. Improved Overall Survival with 12 Cycles of Single-Agent Paclitaxel Maintenance Therapy following a Complete Response to Induction Chemotherapy in Advanced Ovarian Carcinoma. Oncology 2010;78:389-393).