The Bengals celebrated the start of Hispanic Heritage Month by recognizing Jose Cancelas, MD, PhD, as the recipient of the team's Hispanic Heritage Award, presented by LifeCenter, during the regular-season opener Sunday at Paycor Stadium.
Cancelas, a prominent figure in the Cincinnati medical community, is a professor and director/chairman of the Hoxworth Blood Center, University of Cincinnati and director of the translational core laboratories of Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He is renowned for his contributions towards raising awareness for blood, tissue and organ donation throughout the region. He is a member of the US National Institutes of Health Scientific Review Committee and the Board of LifeCenter Organization for the Procurement of Organs in Southwestern Ohio, among others.
In his 19 years of service, Dr. Cancelas has demonstrated a broad background in transfusion medicine, cell therapies, hematology, and stem cell biology. Working with his group, Cancelas has studied how blood cells work and defined the mechanisms that result in transformation of cells into some types of leukemia and identified ways to treat them.
Cancelas received a medical degree from the Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain), and received a doctoral degree in medicine/hematology from the University of Alcalá. After postdoctoral studies in The Netherlands, he attended the University of Cincinnati through the Hoxworth Blood Center Fellowship Program to study blood banking and transfusion. Cancelas currently resides in Montgomery, Ohio.
LifeCenter Organ Donor Network Cincinnati was honored to work with the Bengals to recognize Dr. Cancelas with the Hispanic Heritage Award. Dr. Cancelas has been a Donation Champion in our community, particularly within the Hispanic community.
"We are honored to nominate and present him with the Hispanic Heritage Award for his impact in the Greater Cincinnati Hispanic community and especially at this auspicious time on the cusp of National Hispanic Heritage Month beginning September 15th through October 15th," said Barry Massa, LifeCenter director. "Dr. Cancelas' work and voice matter, and we thank him for his service."
LifeCenter believes the voices of the historically underserved and underrepresented matter. They believe in doing the work in and engaging with the Hispanic community until all in need receive the gift of donation. And they believe in a diverse, welcoming workforce to reflect the communities we serve.
Hispanic communities have made their mark on the sport of football, on and off the field. Like the Hispanic community, the NFL is devoted to achieving excellence and cultivating diversity. The NFL will always celebrate stories that elevate Hispanic culture, inspire and propel youth toward their dreams, and build a unified path to greatness through sport.
