Jai Pausch Addresses Caregiver Concerns in New NCCN Column

FORT WASHINGTON, PA — Jai Pausch, widow and caregiver of the late Randy Pausch, acclaimed Carnegie Mellon University professor and author of the internationally best-selling book The Last Lecture, is sharing her experience and wisdom as a cancer caregiver through a new column on NCCN.com, the patient website of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®).

The column, entitled “Ask Jai”, allows caregivers and family members of patients with cancer to submit questions for consideration. Ms. Pausch will select one question each month and publish her response on NCCN.com. The inaugural column is scheduled to appear later this month.

Since her husband passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2008, Ms. Pausch has been an active, articulate spokesperson for assuring that patients with cancer and their families have the resources they need throughout the course of the disease. Ms. Pausch's special interest is in making sure that the individuals who take care of people with cancer, the caregivers, are not forgotten. In addition, she has written a new foreword to the third edition of The Last Lecture, which will be published shortly.

"Cancer devastates the entire family," said Ms. Pausch, who is also a member of the NCCN Foundation Board of Directors. “It is so painful, and in the end the caregivers are as much survivors as the patients themselves. I am pleased to participate in this opportunity on NCCN.com that allows me to connect with other caregivers and provide insight from my experience that may help individuals feel less isolated.”

NCCN.com is the patient website of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) featuring the NCCN Guidelines for Patients™ as well as enhanced content for patients and caregivers.

To submit a question to the “Ask Jai” column, e-mail questions to askjai@nccn.org. Visit NCCN.com to view a video of Ms. Pausch speaking about her new column.

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