Sherif Mohamed El-Refai is an oncology pharmacist at the University of Kentucky's Markey Cancer Center, which received a National Cancer Institute designation in 2013. Receiving an NCI designation means a cancer center is part of an elite program and can receive grants, but the center must focus on clinical research, population science, laboratory research, and have a record of scientific leadership. Only 69 centers across 35 states have received the designation, which is associated with higher patient survival rates and access to innovative treatments unavailable elsewhere.

1. A Look at National Cancer Institute
Designations
Sherif Mohamed El-Refai

2. Introduction
 Sherif Mohamed El-Refai received his doctor of pharmacy from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Today, Sherif Mohamed El-Refai
is an oncology pharmacist at the University of Kentucky’s Markey Cancer
Center, a research and treatment center designated by the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) in 2013.
A cancer center receiving an NCI designation becomes part of the elite
Cancer Center Program and is eligible to receive financial support through
grants offered by the organization. In order to receive an NCI designation, a
cancer center must focus on a combination of clinical research, population
science, and laboratory research and must have a record of scientific
leadership and excellence.
Only 69 centers in 35 states have received an NCI designation, and these
locations see a patient survival-rate increase of 25 percent. Additionally,
individuals treated at NCI-designated centers have access to innovative
treatment options and trials which are unavailable anywhere else. All NCI-
designated centers operate from a similar framework but may implement
different research programs based on the strengths of their individual
institutions.