Inova receives $1M gift to endow tumor board directorship

Inova Health System has received a $1 million gift from Apex Systems co-founder Win Sheridan to endow the directorship of the Inova Molecular Tumor Board at Inova Schar Cancer Institute, the Falls Church-based health system announced last week.

Dr. Timothy Cannon will be the board’s inaugural Sheridan director. He is also the co-director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Program at Inova and is a specialty care physician board-certified in medical oncology.

Cannon is chair-elect of the steering committee for the Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) trial, which is the largest oncology basket trial in North America, focusing on whether cancer medications approved for one type of cancer can help patients with other types. A basket trial involves a single drug or drug combination that is studied among multiple cancer patient populations, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The TAPUR study enrolled its 100th patient this year.

Founded in 2016, the Inova Molecular Tumor Board helps match patients with rare or recurring advanced cancers with personalized treatments to treat the characteristics of their specific cancers. Board members include oncologists, geneticists, biochemists and clinicians.

“We’re deeply grateful to Win for this gift, which allows us to take an even more personalized approach in treating our patients with advanced cancer,” Cannon said in a statement. “This gift enables us to work with some of the brightest scientific minds in molecular pathology and use the best technology to enhance patient care through clinical trials and use of novel therapeutics. Several results I witnessed this year for participating patients have been incredibly gratifying and I look forward to the future successes that will be made possible with Win’s contribution.”

Sheridan co-founded Glen Allen-based Apex Systems LLC in 1995 and is a director of ASGN Inc., Apex’s parent company. Apex Systems and ASGN together form one of the nation’s largest IT staffing services. He was recognized as Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003, and Before founding Apex Systems, he was a telecommunications recruiter for a staffing firm in Reston.

Sheridan sits on boards of several nonprofit organizations, including the advisory board of VCU’s Massey Cancer Research Center, the Greater Washington Sports Alliance, the Virginia Tech Athletic Fund and PeacePlayers International.