The Inspirational Quest to Eradicate Cancer

The world-renowned Thoracic Oncologist, Dr. Gerold Bepler, joined I Don’t Care’s Kevin Stevenson for a conversation that was no less than inspirational. Dr. Bepler, President and CEO of the Karmanos Cancer Institute, has a mission; to eradicate cancer. It’s more than a dream for Dr. Bepler; he believes it will be a reality one day.

Dr. Bepler arrived from Germany to the United States in 1983. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, the starting point for his journey into lung cancer research. This career path took Dr. Bepler through many stops along the way, and in 2010 he joined the Karmanos Cancer Institute.

The mission to eradicate cancer got a boost in 1971 with the National Cancer Act, and Dr. Bepler said there’s tremendous progress towards this goal since that point. “People now diagnosed with cancer have hope,” Dr. Bepler said. “And many of them get cured of the disease and have a good quality of life. That all wouldn’t have been possible without the National Cancer Act.”

Much of the progress made to eradicating cancer at the Karmanos Cancer Institute owes a debt of gratitude to that 50-year-old law for providing necessary funding that makes such research possible.

“The Karmanos Cancer Institute became one of the NCI designated cancer centers,” Dr. Bepler said. “Very quickly, the National Cancer Institute realized just having one cancer institute in Bethesda, Maryland alone wouldn’t be able to achieve that high goal of eradicating cancer. This network established cancer centers throughout the United States.” What started as a couple of centers in the 1970s is now more than 50 comprehensive cancer centers.

The world now possesses many drugs and treatments to treat cancer through the dedication and research of institutes like the Karmanos Center. And some research led to treatments for other diseases. Dr. Bepler mentioned the Karmanos Center developed three of the first FDA-approved AIDS drugs.

More Like This Story:

The Rising Tide of Food Allergens

From an Idea to Billion Dollar Company: How a Doctor Lobbied DC for HSAs

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

reviews
The New Freight Standard: Why Verified Trucking Reviews Matter in Modern Supply Chains
September 11, 2025

For decades, the freight industry has leaned heavily on compliance data and opaque reputation systems, leaving carriers, brokers, and shippers with little visibility into actual service quality. Reviews often sat behind paywalls, skewed negative, or lacked validation altogether, making it difficult to separate reliable partners from unreliable ones. Today, the vast majority of trucking remains…

Read More
Culture
Culture as a Growth Engine: How People-First Values Create Long-Term Success in a Tech-Driven Age
September 10, 2025

Companies everywhere are racing to integrate AI and automation into their operations—but what happens when technology threatens the very people who power the business? A recent Mercer study found that while executives see AI as a major driver of productivity, many admit their organizations are struggling to keep their workforce prepared for the pace of…

Read More
Nonprofits
The Ethics of Innovation: How Nonprofits Can Harness AI Without Losing Their Mission
September 10, 2025

Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries at a staggering pace, with nonprofit leaders now facing the same challenges and opportunities as their corporate counterparts. According to a Harvard Business Review study of 100 companies deploying generative AI, four strategic archetypes are emerging—ranging from bold innovators to disciplined integrators. For nonprofits, the stakes are even higher: harnessing…

Read More
Why Reliability Is the Real Currency in EV Charging
September 10, 2025

How trust, measured in uptime and delivered through engineering excellence, drives the future of electric transportation   The 3 AM Test: When Reliability Reveals Its True Value Picture this: It’s 3 AM in Houston, and an emergency towing fleet needs to dispatch vehicles immediately. The trucks are electric, the call is urgent, and there’s…

Read More