SLU Scientist John Tavis Honored by American Cancer Society

11/08/2018

At the American Cancer Society's Champions of Hope Gala, attendees celebrated researcher John Tavis, Ph.D., who has dedicated his career to science and medicine. 

SLU faculty members shared reflections in a video about Tavis's dedication to research and teaching, noting that he is a committed mentor to students and colleagues. 

Tavis, who is professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at SLU, has been studying the hepatitis B virus for 24 years.

Experts estimate that up to 290 million people are chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus. Of those infected, about 1 million worldwide die from liver failure and liver cancer each year.

Tavis’s work aims to advance our understanding of how the hepatitis B virus replicates in order to develop a new drug that, in combination with other medications, could cure the viral infection.

The Champions of Hope Gala was led by CEOs Against Cancer of Missouri – St. Louis Chapter Members. SLU President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., is a member of CEOs Against Cancer, and SLU's Stacey Hutchens and Wendy Schlesinger were members of the gala's executive planning committee. 

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.

 

CEOs Against Cancer is a powerful group of executives committed to saving lives and improving their company’s bottom line. CEOs from the world’s top companies are uniting to change the course of cancer to leverage the collective knowledge, power, and resources of the American Cancer Society.