By now, we’re used to the familiar, local refrains of ballyhoo–from City Hall to Visit Tampa Bay–about this evolving market. From Riverwalk pizzazz and Vinikville plans to millennial magnet and host of next year’s national college football championship game.
But it’s really special to also be able to say that one of our own is prominently on the case for the cause of curing cancer. Tampa’s Moffitt Cancer Center, which has already been in touch with the office of Vice President Joe “Moon Shot for Cancer” Biden, expects to be a leader in a ginned-up national effort.
Plaudits to Moffitt’s executive vice president and center director Thomas Sellers for taking the initiative to contact the Obama administration about utilizing the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network, a Moffitt-founded consortium of 11 nationally-recognized cancer centers.
When President Barack Obama gave that “moon shot” shout-out for a cancer cure at his State of the Union address, the folks at Moffitt–not yet 30 years old–knew they would be major players. But this isn’t about synergistic, economic development. Not this time.
This is about literal life. There’s no better reason to feel Tampa proud.