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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - First lady Dr. Jill Biden will visit MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center Monday afternoon before hosting a military event at Joint Base Charleston.
Biden’s visit to the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Cancer Center Director and Dean Dr. Raymond DuBois says Biden is very passionate about breast cancer awareness and research and says her visit will bring national attention to the center and the issue.
“We do see a lot of minority patients, or patients that come from underserved areas,” he said. “She’s very passionate about trying to do what she can to improve health and equity, especially in the cancer field.”
During the secure visit, DuBois says they plan to showcase their work at the Hollings Cancer Center.
He says the First Lady will meet some of the staff and students at the Hollings Cancer Center, including students from their HBCU pipeline program, which she is very interested in learning about.
“She wants to understand how that works and why they decided to choose a career in health or biomedical research,” DuBois said.
Dubois says the Hollings Center is now in the Top 40 of the US News and World Report rankings for cancer centers. He says Biden will hear about exciting new research where one scientist here has discovered a monoclonal antibody drug for treating breast cancer. She is ready to take that to more of a clinical trial phase, DuBois says.
The National Cancer Institute is expected to be visiting as well. DuBois says the Hollings Cancer Center is the only NCI-designated center in South Carolina, and only one of 71 that has earned an NCI designation, placing it in the top 4% nationwide.
“We’re on a journey to earn comprehensive status, and this helps us to achieve that vision,” he said.
She is expected to arrive at MUSC around 2:45 p.m.
From there, she will travel to Joint Base Charleston to host a Joint Forces event where she will meet military families. She is set to arrive at the base at around 4:30 p.m.
Biden arrived in Charleston Sunday night and is set to return to the nation’s capital Monday night.
Earlier this month, she visited Brookland Baptist Church in West Columbia to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of its pastor, the Rev. Charles B. Jackson.
During that visit, she spoke of renewing her faith after the loss of the Bidens’ son, Beau, who died from brain cancer in 2015. She said she felt “betrayed” and “broken” after his death.
But she said that changed in May 2019, when she and her husband, President Joe Biden, visited the church during a campaign stop and heard Jackson preaching. She said Jackson’s wife, Robin, asked to be her prayer partner.
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