Beena Thannickal Joins Development and Community Relations BEENA THANNICKAL has joined the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Office of
Development and Community Relations as a
media relations specialist. She will work jointly
with UAB Media Relations on cancer-related
news, from patient stories to cancer research.
Before coming to UAB, Mrs. Thannickal
was a senior public relations representative
for the Institute for Research on Women
and Gender at the University of Michigan.
Prior to that she managed media relations
for various schools and departments at
Boston University and also worked for Cone
Communications in Boston and the DeVries
agency in New York. She has managed mul-
tifaceted national
and international
PR campaigns for a
variety of clients.
Mrs. Thannickal
graduated from
the University of
Connecticut with a
bachelor’s degree in
journalism. She and
her husband, Victor,
director of the UAB Division of Pulmonary,
Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, have
three children, Hana, Halle and Luke.
In May, the Breast Cancer Research
Foundation of Alabama (BCRFA) held its
annual Pink Palace Casino Night and Drive-
Out Breast Cancer LPGA Pro-Am Golf
Tournament. The theme of this year’s casino
night was “Alice in Wonderland” and featured
the famous Rabbit Hole, oversized mushrooms
and a Mad Hatter’s Room, where guests could
create their own decorative hats. Combined,
the two events raised more than $270,000
for breast cancer research at the UAB
Comprehensive Cancer Center.
BCRFA Hosts Annual Casino Night and Golf Tournament
ACIPCO Makes Annual Donation
Birmingham’s ACIPCO (American
Cast Iron Pipe Company) recently made
its annual donation to support research at
the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The $20,000 donation marks ACIPCO’s
32nd year of generous support and brings
its lifetime donation total to more than
$520,000.
This year’s donation will go toward
the Cancer Center’s Fund for Excellence,
which supports high-priority areas of
research and patient care where money is
most needed.
The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center
mourns the loss of Jeanne Connor, who
passed away on July 6 after a lengthy battle
with cancer. Mrs. Connor worked at the
center as a research nurse coordinator for
16 years. She was first diagnosed with
melanoma at the age of 16 and was diag-
nosed with recurrent metastatic melanoma
34 years later. She
is survived by her
husband, Gordon
Connor, and her
stepchildren,
Michael, Kelly and
Stephen Connor.
In Memoriam: Jeanne Connor
u A b C o m P r e H e N S I V e C A N C e r C e N T e r 27