Under the leadership of Dr. Mark Evers, director, the faculty and staff at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center work tirelessly to provide the best possible cancer care for its patients, with the idea that no Kentuckian will ever have to leave the state or travel long distances for complex cancer treatment. This past year, more than 3,000 patients from all across Kentucky and several nearby states have come to Markey for inpatient cancer care.

Since Evers came to the Markey Cancer Center in 2009, he and Markey's team of faculty and staff have made becoming a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center a primary goal. This is a distinction only 67 of the top cancer centers in the nation have accomplished. This gold standard is reserved for cancer programs that excel in clinical research, evidence-based diagnosis and treatment, and community outreach, and its benefits include $1.5 million in additional funding, access to the latest in cancer research clinical trials, and improved ability to attract the best medical students and faculty.

Evers is an internationally recognized clinician-scientist, surgeon, educator and administrator. His laboratory research has been continuously funded for more than 18 years from the National Institutes of Health. As a surgeon, his primary interests are in colorectal and endocrine surgery. His research interests are predominately focused on signaling mechanisms for proliferation of colorectal cancers. He is also the director of UK's Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant for GI cancer.

This past year, more than 3,000 patients from all across Kentucky and several nearby states have come to Markey for inpatient cancer care.