Ovester Grays, athletic director and head women’s basketball coach at Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina, was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma in 2019. Through his nine months of treatment, his entire care team at Duke reassured him. “I was confident about the facts, but the emotional and the mental was nurtured every single step of the way. And it changed my life,” he said. “I’ve told my family if I’m every seriously sick, take me to Duke Hospital. They’re some of the best trained medical treatment personnel in the world. So they mean the world to me.”
Life-Changing Treatment
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From the Duke Cancer Institute archives. Content may be out of date.
Watch Coach Grays Share His Story
In honor of Duke Cancer’s 50th anniversary, blood cancer survivor Coach Ovester Grays and DCI Executive Director Michael Kastan, MD, PhD, share their hope for the future.Written By
Angela Spivey
Duke University School of Medicine
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Duke University Health System is expanding access to cell and gene therapies with an aim to accelerate the adoption of these treatments for current and future patients.As a leading, first-in-region provider of several cell and gene therapies, and the only center in the region to offer the full breadth of commercial products available, Duke Health will leverage its expertise, resources, and established clinical care pathways to streamline treatment delivery across specialties.“We are proud to have built one of the world’s most comprehensive cell and gene therapy programs” said Greg Pauly, President of Duke University Hospital and Group President of Acute Care Services for Duke Health. “We want to ensure that groundbreaking science and medicine translates into real patient access locally, regionally and nationally.”New research suggests that cellular therapies could be used in many different types of diseases beyond cancer, particularly in autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as certain neurological and endocrine disorders. Duke will work to support the expected growth of these therapies to ensure the provision of the necessary expertise, resourcing, infrastructure, and financial oversight."This represents a pivotal step in advancing our leadership in cell and gene therapy, enabling Duke to scale innovation, expand into new therapeutic areas, and seamlessly deliver transformative care to more patients,” said Mara Bloom, JD, MS, Administrative Vice President of Oncology Services for the Duke Health.
Duke Cancer Institute Blog
This page was reviewed
on 10/16/2023