Founder of Prostate Cancer Education Council Honored as a Champion in Health Care
The founder of the Prostate Cancer Education Council (PCEC), Dr. E. David Crawford, professor of surgery and radiation oncology and head of urologic oncology at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, has been formally recognized for his impact on health care in the Denver community. Singled out from other nominations, this September Dr. Crawford was awarded as a “Champion in Health Care” in the provider category by the Denver Business Journal, an American City Business Journals publication.
Greenwood Village, CO (PRWEB) October 13, 2006
The founder of the Prostate Cancer Education Council (PCEC), Dr. E. David Crawford, professor of surgery and radiation oncology and head of urologic oncology at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, has been formally recognized for his impact on health care in the Denver community. Most notably, Crawford is credited for his efforts that have contributed to swaying prostate cancer statistics from diagnosis at an advanced disease to an early stage disease when it is curable.
Singled out from other nominations, this September Dr. Crawford was awarded as a “Champion in Health Care” in the provider category by the Denver Business Journal, an American City Business Journals publication. Treating men for prostate cancer since the late 1970’s, he is a leader in the field of research and treatment. Through his work, he saw the need to teach men that an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure.
Fed up with the lack of information on prevention, Dr. Crawford took matters into his own hands and formed the Greenwood Village, Colo.-based PCEC in 1988, a 501-3c non-profit organization whose main effort is the coordination of free or low-cost prostate cancer screenings across the nation during the third week of Sept., Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (PCAW). With early detection, the survival rate is nearly 100 percent - one of the highest of any cancer.
The first PCAW screened about 10,000 men nationwide. Since then, millions more men have been screened and Crawford has noted a positive trend in diagnosis. Twenty years ago, more than 70 percent of prostate cancer cases presented were advanced and incurable. Today, Crawford sees less than 10 percent of cases presented at an advanced stage.
When Dr. Crawford is not with a patient or in surgery, his time is devoted entirely to the early detection, treatment and cure of prostate cancer. He leads the PCEC, comprised of respected medical doctors, researchers and professionals dedicated to the research and educational efforts designed to reduce and hopefully one day eliminate the threat of prostate cancer. Always searching for new ways to raise awareness for early detection of the disease, Dr. Crawford launched the annual Colorado Al Wilson Prostate Cancer Golf Tournament in 2004. In 2002 he founded the national 5k Prostate Awareness and Cancer Education (PACE) Race series now held in 13 markets across the U. S. The PCEC also has an established program with National Football League (NFL) teams where awareness is raised at games dedicated to the cause in 11 cities, for which Dr. Crawford chairs the sponsorship committee yearly.
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