FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP—Jarrod Kaufman, MD, FACS, a surgeon on staff at CentraState Medical Center, recently received a three-year appointment as the State Chair of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC) Cancer Liaison Program.Dr. Kaufman also is the chair of the Melanoma Work Group of the New Jersey Governor’s Task Force on Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment. Dr. Kaufman leads skin cancer programs at CentraState, including the new MoleSafe program, a total skin documentation system for early detection of melanoma and other skin cancers.

State Chairs are volunteer physicians who serve as CoC representatives and provide leadership and support to the CoC-accredited programs and Cancer Liaison Physicians in their state.

Dr. Kaufman is among a network of 64 State Chairs that guides the activities of more than 1,600 volunteer Cancer Liaison Physicians appointed in cancer programs across the U.S.Cancer Liaison Physicians are responsible for spearheading CoC initiatives within their cancer programs; collaborating with agencies such as the American Cancer Society, and facilitating quality improvement initiatives utilizing data submitted to the CoC's National Cancer Database.

Dr. Kaufman also will work with the American Cancer Society, state cancer registries, and departments of health to support data-driven comprehensive cancer control planning throughout the state.This collaborative effort is an integrated and coordinated approach to reducing cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality.The CoC State Chair assists in the development and implementation of a state cancer plan, which identifies cancer issues, provides strategies of implementation, and evaluates the effectiveness of cancer control activities at the state and local levels.

As State Chair, Dr. Kaufman is the main contact between the Commission on Cancer and local chapter of the American College of Surgeons.This responsibility includes serving as a member of the chapter council and involving Chapter members in CoC initiatives and activities.

CentraState Healthcare System is a non-profit community health organization consisting of an acute-care hospital, an ambulatory care campus, three senior living communities, a Family Medicine Residency Program, and a charitable foundation. It is a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Health Network and a clinical research affiliate of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

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