The recent partnership between All Children's Hospital and Johns Hopkins Medicine is already producing tangible results - a new fellowship in pediatric cancer research that will bear the name of Dick Vitale.

The sportscasting legend and tireless supporter of pediatric cancer research first learned of the honor at the Dick Vitale Gala, held Friday May 20, 2011 at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota, FL. Since 2006, this annual fundraiser for the V Foundation for Cancer Research has awarded more than $850,000 for pediatric cancer studies at All Children's Hospital. The 2011 event drew a sellout crowd to honor such college basketball coaching luminaries as John Calipari/University of Kentucky, Roy Williams/University of North Carolina and international tennis legend Nick Bollettieri.

But perhaps the highest honor came when Nick Valvano, Chief Executive Officer of the V Foundation, announced that a portion of 2011 Gala proceeds would be the seed money needed to establish a three-year advanced training program in pediatric cancer research to be named for Vitale.

The Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fellowship at All Children's Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine, is the first to be established since these two revered healthcare providers joined forces in April of 2011. 

"It is fitting that the first evidence of the power of the collaboration between All Children's Hospital and Johns Hopkins Medicine be named after a man with exceeding dedication to children - in Florida and beyond - who are battling the effects of cancer," said Jonathan Ellen, MD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Vice Dean for All Children's Hospital.

The Dick Vitale Cancer Research Fellow will spend three years actively training for a future in pediatric cancer research. The program is designed so that the first year of clinical training will take place in the Department of Pediatric Oncology on the Baltimore campus of The Johns Hopkins Hospital.  Don Small, MD, Chairman of Pediatric Oncology at Johns Hopkins Medicine will hold overall responsibility for the fellowship. The second and third years of training will focus on mentored pediatric oncology research at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL.

Recruitment for the fellowship position will begin immediately, with a goal of filling the chair no later than July of 2013.

For more information, please contact Sherrie Mazur, Director of Marketing & Communications /The V Foundation for Cancer Research at 919-380-9505 or Smazur@jimmyv.org or Sylvia Ameen, Associate VP/All Children's Hospital Foundation at 727-767-4476 or sylvia.ameen@allkids.org.