The Valley of the Sun - Where Americans are Moving This Year!

Moving is exhausting, time-consuming and tedious, and can be frustrating, especially if you’re moving to a new city or state. But once you’re moved in, living in the city you’ve always wanted to call home makes it worth the hassle.

10 US cities were chosen as the most popular moving destinations from January to March of 2012 based on inbound shipments, according to the American Moving and Storage Association.

While Metro Phoenix was hit hard by the housing crash and is only beginning to rebound. Rental rates and home values have followed a similar trend, falling hard from 2008 to 2010, but they’ve slowly started to climb in the last two years. Of course, that means if you’re one of those moving to Arizona, there’s plenty of affordable real estate to choose from, whether you’re buying or renting.

The Valley is a great place to move if you have experience in the tourism or manufacturing industries. The trade, transportation and utilities sectors employ much of the population, but education, health and business services are also popular industries.

Read the full list HERE.

NEJM hails new skin cancer drug as ‘greatest advance yet’

Vismodegib, a new skin cancer drug for patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma used for the first time in the world at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare, is hailed as “the greatest advance in therapy yet seen” for advanced basal cell carcinoma in an editorial in today’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Vismodegib (Erivedge) was administered for the first time in the world Jan. 23, 2007 in a phase I clinical trial at Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials at Scottsdale Healthcare, a partnership with the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). Vismodegib received FDA approval on Jan. 30, 2012.

The successful Phase I study at Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials led to the broader follow-up study, which validated the researchers’ work and was published in the current New England Journal of Medicine. The drug blocks the Hedgehog signaling pathway and was approved for treatment of locally advanced and metastatic basal cell carcinomas. Additional research noted encouraging results for patients with basal cell nevus syndrome.

“It is a landmark day for patients with basal cell carcinoma and all those involved in their care,” said the NEJM editorial. However the editors cautioned that additional study of Hedgehog pathway inhibitors like Vismodegib warrant further study so a larger number of patients may benefit.

The drug is the first to receive FDA approval to treat inoperable basal cell carcinoma. Successful early trial results led to a broader subsequent study sponsored by Genentech. The drug is being marketed under the name Erivedge.

This is the first drug tested under the Scottsdale Healthcare-TGen partnership to receive FDA approval.

FDA approval in five years is a remarkable achievement because clinical trials progress through three phases and can take up to 15 years or more to successfully complete, according to Mark Slater, PhD, vice president of research at Scottsdale Healthcare.

“The first patient put on this drug had advanced basal cell cancer, so we suspected that the tumor had the mutation this drug is targeted against,” said Ramesh K. Ramanathan, MD, medical director at Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials. “And our partnership with Dr. Ronald Korn and his team who did advanced PET imaging helped to really demonstrate the drug's efficacy for Genentech to continue pursuing the additional study.”

Most instances of basal cell cancer can be effectively treated, but in some cases, the cancer cells spread and develop an aggressive form of the cancer that does not respond to standard surgical treatment.

“In some patients there is progression to life-threatening, locally advanced or metastatic tumors. Approved as a pill to be taken once a day, we believe this new drug represents an opportunity to improve quality of life for these patients,” said Glen Weiss, MD, director of Thoracic Oncology at Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials and assistant professor of TGen’s Cancer and Cell Biology Division.

San Francisco-based Genentech developed Vismodegib. Successful results of early clinical trials at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare, Johns Hopkins University and Karmanos Cancer Institute were published in the Sept. 17, 2009 New England Journal of Medicine and led to interest in increased access to the drug.

Individuals seeking information about eligibility to participate in clinical trials at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare may contact the cancer care coordinator at 480-323-1339; toll free at 1-877-273-3713 or via email at clinicaltrials@shc.org.

Press Contact:
Keith Jones

Public Relations Director, Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center
480-323-1383kjones@shc.org

W. P. Carey School of Business and SRP Present Small Business Leadership Academy

The Small Business Leadership Academy is an intensive executive education program designed to strengthen the business acumen of small business leaders in Arizona. The program was jointly developed by the W. P. Carey School of Business and the Salt River Project (SRP), the program's founding sponsor. SRP has generously provided scholarships to the principals of a number of its key suppliers.

The program, now in its fifth year, has been expanded to allow for the inclusion of self-funded individuals as well as additional sponsoring companies who wish to support the Arizona small business community. Please use the links below or to the left to access more information about the program.

This is a great opportunity for both Sponsors and Participants! CLICK HERE to learn more!

Chamber's Newest Member to Host Grand Opening June 11th!

The Scottsdale Chamber is pleased to welcome our newest member at their newest location; Qdoba Mexican Grill, located at 4032 N. Scottsdale Road (SW Corner of Scottsdale Rd. & Indian School Rd. - Next to Starbucks). Qdoba will be hosting a Grand Opening celebration on Monday June 11th at 10am, and to celebrate, the first 50 people in the door will receive a free entre!

To celebrate the grand opening, Qdoba has a number of events and promotions scheduled each day, the week of June 11 – 17:

·         Mon. 6/11: First 50 guests receive one FREE entrée - no purchase necessary

·         Tues. 6/12: Local Heroes – FREE entrée for Public Service workers (Police, Firefighters, EMT)

·         Wed. 6/13: FREE order of 3-Cheese Nachos - with any purchase

·         Thurs. 6/14: Qdoba Rewards Card preloaded with free entrée for all guests (redeemable after June 14, 2012)

·         Fri. 6/15: Scrubs Day – FREE entrée for Healthcare workers (must show ID)

·         Sat. 6/16 & Sun. 6/17: Kids 12 and under receive FREE Kids’ Meal - no purchase necessary

           

“We are very excited to open the newest Qdoba in this location,” said Jim Rice, general manager for the Scottsdale Rd. Qdoba. “Qdoba gives the community a great quick option to enjoy fresh and unique Mexican flavors, completely customizable to fit their own taste and dietary preferences.”

Learn more at Qdoba.com.

Scottsdale Healthcare CMO among Top 100 U.S. physician leaders

Scottsdale Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Mike Foley, MD is one of the top 100 physician leaders in the United States, according to Becker’s Hospital Review, a national healthcare trade publication.

Becker's Hospital Review released 100 Physician Leaders of Hospitals and Health Systems, which features some of the top physician leaders in healthcare on May 31.

Dr. Foley became Chief Medical Officer at Scottsdale Healthcare in 2008 after having served as medical director of academic affairs and chief academic officer for one year. Prior to joining Scottsdale Healthcare, Dr. Foley worked in a perinatal practice and maintains a limited clinical practice in maternal-fetal medicine. He is a past president of the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and is a board examiner in maternal-fetal medicine.

Dr. Foley has published numerous scientific articles and is a reviewer for several medical journals. He is a national and international lecturer, an award-winning teacher and author. He is considered a national authority on critical care medicine in obstetrics.

 “Successful hospitals require bright leadership and clinical excellence, and physician executives provide the valuable skill sets to meet both of these needs. The executives on this list have crossed the gap between clinical and management sectors, providing an important perspective on some of the greatest challenges facing healthcare today. Whether as CEO, president, CMO or another role, these physicians use their clinical experience to inform their decisions as they lead their hospitals and health systems to high quality, cost-effective care” said the editors of Becker's Hospital Review.

Physician leaders were selected for inclusion on the list based on their healthcare experience, awards they've received and their commitment to quality care. Many were nominated by their peers, and the list was vetted by industry experts.

The full-length edition of the list can be found here. Becker's Hospital Review is a bimonthly publication offering up-to-date business and legal news and analysis relating to hospitals and health systems. Content is geared toward high level hospital leaders and includes hospital and health system news, best practices and legal guidance specifically for these decision makers.

Celebrating its 50^th anniversary in 2012, Scottsdale Healthcare is the locally-based nonprofit parent of organization of the Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center, Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center and Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson Peak Hospital, Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare, Scottsdale Healthcare Research Institute. A leader in medical innovation, talent and technology, Scottsdale Healthcare was founded in 1962 and is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, visit www.shc.org.