National Comprehensive Cancer Network CEO Honored with Humanitarian Award

ROCKLEDGE, PA, June 23, 2003 � The Patient Advocate Foundation (www.patientadvocate.org) recently awarded William T. McGivney, PhD their National Humanitarian Healthcare Award, in recognition of his outstanding leadership and steadfast commitment to improving patient access to quality healthcare.

Patient Advocate Foundation is a national non-profit organization that serves as an active liaison between the patient and their insurer, employer and/or creditors to resolve insurance, job retention and/or debt crisis matters relative to their diagnosis through case managers, doctors and attorneys. Patient Advocate Foundation seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability.

�Dr. McGivney is the personification of the consummate patient advocate,� said Nancy Davenport-Ennis, the foundation�s founding executive officer. �His level of sensitivity to a patient�s pain and personal insecurity as they deal with confronting their own mortality is reflected in each decision that Dr. McGivney renders, which is why the Patient Advocate Foundation is honored to present him with our National Humanitarian Healthcare Award. Dr. McGivney singularly understands and appreciates the complexities in the health care delivery system due to his background as a national vice president of Aetna Healthcare, through his current leadership of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and through his service to patients on our board of directors.�

Dr. McGivney is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. He is a recognized expert in coverage policy and drug and device regulatory policy, and was awarded the FDA Commissioner�s Medal of Appreciation in 1989. Dr. McGivney earned his Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Last August, Dr. McGivney was named Vice President of Executive Board of Patient Advocate Foundation. In addition to the Patient Advocate Foundation, Dr. McGivney has served on numerous national committees, including his present role on the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®), a not-for-profit alliance of 23 of the world's leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives. For more information, visit NCCN.org.

The NCCN Member Institutions are:

City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
Duke Cancer Institute
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center / Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Moffitt Cancer Center
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Stanford Cancer Institute
University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Colorado Cancer Center
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center