Holy Name Press Releases

Kaleidoscope of Hope Foundation Honors Daniel H. Smith, MD at Tenth Anniversary Celebration Brunch

October 19, 2010

Teaneck, N.J., (October 19, 2010) - The Kaleidoscope of Hope Foundation (KOH) honored Holy Name Medical Center physician Daniel H. Smith, MD at its tenth anniversary celebration brunch, "A Zeal for Teal." KOH is a non-profit organization that raises awareness and funds and acts as the primary advocate for ovarian cancer activism in the New Jersey area. The celebration was held on October 10, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, NJ. Jenny Allen, acclaimed writer and performer, was emcee at the brunch that saluted medical professionals who have devoted their careers to research initiatives that improve and extend the lives of women dealing with ovarian cancer.

Daniel H. Smith, MD, has achieved substantial renown in the field of gynecologic oncology, which he has practiced for over 30 years. As the only board-certified and re-certified physician in obstetrics/gynecology, general surgery and gynecologic oncology in the country, Dr. Smith's training and experience provide a superior level of medical expertise and continuity of care to his patients and qualifies him to treat not only the primary site of gynecologic cancer, but also areas affected by disease or metastases, such as the colon, bladder and vascular system. He is also a strong advocate of raising women's awareness to the earliest detection and best treatment for gynecologic cancers. Having founded the Maureen Fund for Ovarian Cancer Awareness in 2005, he has brought this organization to Holy Name Medical Center and will begin lectures and patient assessments in the near future.

Dr. Smith earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1972. He completed a residency in general surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, a residency in obstetrics/gynecology at Los Angeles County/U.S.C. Medical Center, and his fellowship in gynecologic oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. After his training, he joined the faculty of Cornell University Medical College and the staffs of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the New York Hospital before joining the faculty of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1987 where he was director of the division of Gynecologic Oncology for over 16 years. Dr. Smith was most recently vice-chairman of the cancer center at Hackensack University Medical Center and division chief of gynecologic oncology.

Dr. Smith is widely published on a broad range of gynecologic oncology topics and is a member of several professional organizations, including the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group and the Society of Memorial Gynecologic Oncologists.

The other esteemed honorees included George Coukos, MD, PhD, Director, Ovarian Cancer Research Center, University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center, Lorna Rodriguez, MD, PhD, Chief of Gynecologic Oncology, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Brian Slomovitz, MD, Gynecologist Oncologist, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, Morristown Memorial Hospital and Overlook Hospital, Mario M. Leitao, Jr., MD, FACOG, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Darlene Gibbon, MD, Clinical Director of Gynecologic Oncology, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

The tenth anniversary brunch was hosted by Jenny Allen, who is herself an ovarian cancer survivor and whose show, "I Got Sick Then I Got Better," has received rave reviews. This past July, Jenny performed her play at the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, "Power is Teal," Conference in Washington, DC.

Over the past ten years, KOH has raised over $1.7 million through annual walkathons, golf outings and their annual Spring Gala. All proceeds from the "Zeal for Teal" event will support and fund research initiatives aimed at finding early detection as well as improved treatment options.

About Holy Name Medical Center

Holy Name Medical Center is a fully accredited, not-for-profit healthcare facility based in Teaneck, New Jersey, with off-site locations throughout Bergen County. Founded and sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in 1925, the comprehensive 361-bed medical center offers leading-edge medical practice and technology administered in an environment rooted in a tradition of compassion and respect for every patient. Holy Name provides high quality health care across a continuum that encompasses education, prevention, early intervention, comprehensive treatment options, rehabilitation and wellness maintenancefrom pre-conception through end-of-life. Affiliation with the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System brings an added dimension to care, in the form of increased access to clinical trials, highly specialized physicians, and expanded opportunities for professional medical education.

About KOH

The Kaleidoscope of Hope Foundation was founded by three ovarian cancer survivors: the late Gail MacNeil of Chatham Township and Patricia Stewart-Busso, Lambertville, and Lois Myers of Harding Township. Its fundraising walkathons in September, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, have become an inspirational event for those touched by ovarian cancer. The three walks, in Morris, Bergen and Monmouth Counties, draw hundreds of participants and raise thousands of dollars.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women and the leading cause of death from gynecological cancer in the US. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 21,550 new cases of ovarian cancer were diagnosed in 2009 and 14,600 women died from ovarian cancer. If detected in its early stages, survival from ovarian cancer is 90-95 percent. The "hope" in Kaleidoscope of Hope's name symbolizes the vision to find early diagnostic tests, individualized therapeutic treatments or, ideally, an ultimate cure for ovarian cancer. For more information about the Kaleidoscope of Hope Foundation, please visit www.kohnj.org.