NETWORKING® MAGAZINE'S DAVID AWARD HONOREE, JANUARY 12, 2006

FRANCIS ARENA M.D., F. A. C. P.
President, Arena Oncology Associates, P.C.

by Maureen Traxler

Less than ten years after receiving his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College, Dr. Francis Arena opened Arena Oncology, a unique medical office in Great Neck with hospital-caliber care in a comfortable and warm setting. His office manages every aspect of patient care from up-to-date diagnostic and treatment modalities to the availability of a social worker, and carries out research on the premises. In addition to having the latest advances in equipment and technology, Arena Associates partners with pharmaceutical companies to offer patients the newest drugs and the most current treatment regimens.

Arena aspires to the phrase: The healing begins in the waiting room. He's also keenly aware that "cancer is not an isolated illness," that family members are most likely coping with some aspect of the disease, from lack of understanding to loss of a loved one's abilities. And, for their dedication and compassion, he calls his nurses, physician;s assistants and physician associates "very special people."

Arena notes, however,"There's a war going on in the medical field between continuing patient care and medical research." And he  has chosen to confront, what he's determined, the two biggest challenges in medicine: that doctors must never forget the patient, even with today's governmental restraints and high health costs, and that vital research must be funded and carried out.

During his internship and residency at New York Hospital-Memorial Hospital, Arena participated in the rotation through the hospitals of Cornell - The New York Hospital, Hospital for Special Surgery and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center - learning the importance of understanding patients. After receiving his medical degree, he managed Memorial Sloan Kettering's education component, overseeing student rotations. Today, Arena still "makes rounds" accompanying medical students to patients' bedsides, as part of his duties as clinical assistant professor at New York University Hospital and Cornell University Medical College. He considers it his responsibility to share his 30 years' experience and remind students that "their patients always come first."

Arena says that his "roots" in the medical field go back to his youth. He had rheumatic fever as a child and remembers making visits to his uncle, the doctor, who was considered the "general practitioner" for his Brooklyn neighborhood. But there's another image that looms large in his memory: a little girl he used to see when they sat on the stoops of their brownstones. One day, his mom asked for his help, going door-to-door requesting contributions for the family who had just lost their daughter to leukemia.

"I was shocked by it," says Arena, who 30 years later would write a paper on the curability of childhood leukemia. "Today, we can cure 50-60% of the cases."

"Research and education is how we can make headway into diseases," he adds, "so they are not the killers that they used to be." During his internship, Arena participated in a six-month rotation in research, meeting and working with Dr. Robert Good and Dr. Sudhir Gupta while conducting research on immunology and the relationship to cancer. At Memorial Sloan Kettering, he also participated in research and later served as Hematology/Oncology Fellow.

In 1986, Arena and philanthropists Martin and Barbara Sass created a foundation that focuses on research, education and patient care in the fight against cancer and blood related diseases. The foundation became known as the Hematologic Research Foundation, but was later changed to The Sass Foundation for Medical Research, following the Sasses' outstanding contributions that allowed the foundation's work to broaden. Dr. Gupta also serves as director of scientific development.

One of the major functions of the foundation is providing lectures for physicians, so that "they can understand the issues, not just read about them in a journal or professional magazine," says Arena. The foundation has hosted a "Who's Who in the medical field"Ñ top scientists and physicians across the country - to keep local practitioners attuned to the latest news. Arena recalls one of the foundation's first speakers, Larry Piro of the Scripps Clinic in California, who had discovered a rheumatoid arthritis drug for the treatment of "hairy cell leukemia." "When he spoke," Arena adds, "physicians gathered around the podium, and within six months, we were treating people on Long Island with the drug, and saving lives."

The foundation offers community oncology programs with motivational speakers, such as film and TV actor Richard Roundtree who has suffered from male breast cancer, and Marshall Wallace, the voice of Mrs. Crabapple on The Simpsons, who brings humor to the treatment of disease. For a decade, the foundation has been holding a free breast cancer awareness day for patients and their families - this year attracting more than 600 attendees. With his interest in education and support, Arena says he'd like to see another "zero" behind that number.

The foundation recently held its sixth international meeting on cancer in Majorca, Spain, where physicians and scientists from every continent shared expertise and discussed targeted therapies. It also acknowledges people from all walks of life who are making a difference in health care, including New York State Senator Michael Balboni, for securing grants for research, and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, for shaping bills in the health field and providing funds for research.

A lecturer, published writer of numerous articles, assistant editor of the journal Oncology, and editorial board member of the journal Community Oncology, Arena serves on the advisory board of One in Nine, and commends the foundation for their outstanding work in assisting people facing cancer and in promoting awareness among the public and elected officials. He also assists Lean on Me in their work to help patients cope with disease. To foster a closer working relationship among researchers, clinics, medical facilities and pharmaceutical companies, Arena serves on advisory boards of several pharmaceuticals.

Twenty-three year residents of Manhasset, Arena and his wife Kathleen, an emergency room nurse at North Shore Hospital, have six children, Joe, Frank, Christian, Brittany, Jillian and William, ranging in age from 26 to 7 years old.