Mark Scholz, MD
Steps in as new PCRI Executive Director

The PCRI has appointed Mark C. Scholz, MD to the post of executive director, made vacant by the death of Brad Guess. Dr. Scholz is certainly no stranger to the PCRI, which he co-founded in 1996 along with Stephen B. Strum, MD, with the intent of raising awareness and educating the public about prostate cancer through regional outreach programs, quarterly newsletters, and a Helpline resource. In the 10 years since co-founding the PCRI, Dr. Scholz has kept closely in touch with the organization as a medical advisor and a member of the PCRI Board of Directors.

“The role of the PCRI is to make all the new prostate cancer research that is being discovered by medical experts understandable and accessible to men with the disease, along with their families/caregivers,” said Dr. Scholz, a board-certified internist and oncologist who serves as medical director of Prostate Oncology Specialists, Inc. in Marina del Rey, CA.

An avid supporter of prostate cancer research, Dr. Scholz is an acknowledged expert on management and treatment for prostate cancer using hormone intervention, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and angiogenesis as well as vitamin, herbal and other forms of lifestyle counseling. In 2002, Dr. Scholz founded Prostate Oncology Specialists, Inc. (POS), a medical group dedicated solely to the management and treatment of prostate cancer. Under Dr. Scholz’s direction, POS is pioneering the use of fusion imaging with the combination of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging to detect and monitor small tumors. This is a unique method offering the hope that early-stage prostate cancer can be managed with less toxic side effects.

Dr. Scholz began his medical career after receiving his medical degree from Creighton University in Omaha, NE, and completing his Internal Medicine internship and Medical Oncology residency at University of Southern California (USC) Medical Center. He was awarded a medical oncology fellowship at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center. Dr. Scholz served as oncology director at the Memorial Campus of the Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center from 1996-2001.

Currently, Dr. Scholz is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Oncology at USC School of Medicine. He continues his research projects in the area of prostate cancer, and he has authored numerous scholarly articles in his area of expertise, including important work on intermittent hormone blockade as well as optimal methods for predicting when prostate cancer will act aggressively. He is also a consultant for the Journal of Urology.

In his new post at the PCRI, Dr. Scholz intends to continue to improve the quality of men’s lives by supporting prostate cancer research and disseminating information that educates and empowers patients, families, and the medical community. “One of my chief concerns is the need to solidify the lines of the PCRI’s financial support so we can improve our services and consider adding important new resources,” Dr. Scholz explained. “I’d also like to update our website presentation to make this fount of useful information more user-friendly for its visitors, and I plan to expand Insights to further increase the number of articles authored by leading researchers and physicians. Also, we will maintain our Helpline staff of knowledgeable facilitators, thereby continuing to provide useful information to prostate cancer patients and their families in more than 60 countries.”

Dr. Scholz resides in Los Angeles with his wife and three children.

Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI)
 

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