By Karen Guin

University of Central Florida breast cancer researcher Karen Dow Meneses will serve on the National Cancer Advisory Board, the White House announced late last week.

President George W. Bush appointed the UCF nursing professor to the board for a six-year term beginning immediately.

Dow will serve as one of 18 members of the board, which advises, assists, consults with and makes recommendations to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and director of the National Cancer Institute. The institute supports research on the prevention, early detection, treatment and surveillance of cancer.

The National Cancer Advisory Board includes leading representatives of health and scientific disciplines, such as Dow, as well as leaders in the fields of public policy, law, health policy, economics and management.

"I am delighted and honored to be appointed. This gives me a unique opportunity to bring my perspective as a nurse and researcher to the National Cancer Program," Dow said.

Dow has spent more than three decades working to improve the care of cancer patients, the most recent 11 years as a member of the UCF faculty. She is the recipient of a $1.6 million research grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research and National Cancer Institute and a $250,000 grant from the Susan G. Komen Foundation to improve the quality of life of breast cancer survivors.

Dow also has a distinguished record of professional service. She recently completed six years of service as a member of the Florida Biomedical Research Council and for many years she served as a scientific grant reviewer for the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Nursing Research.

In April, she was named a Pegasus Professor, the highest honor bestowed to a faculty member by UCF.

"We are indeed proud of Dr. Dow's presidential appointment to the National Cancer Advisory Board," said Joyce Dorner, interim dean of the College of Health and Public Affairs, which houses the UCF School of Nursing. "Her appointment is indicative of the level of recognition she has achieved through her breast cancer research."

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