KPBS Midday Edition

San Diego Cancer Research At Risk As Sequestration Looms

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Patty Lane / Producer, Amita Sharma / Investigative Reporter

Published February 20, 2013 at 8:30 AM PST

This story was published more than 12 years ago.

San Diego Cancer Research At Risk As Sequestration Looms

Dr. Thomas J. Kipps, Deputy Director for Research at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Jimmy Jackson, Vice President of Public Policy at BIOCOM

Sequestration is a word that's been heard a lot around San Diego, mainly when it comes to military cuts. The automatic spending cuts, set to go into effect March 1, have the potential to greatly impact our region. That's unless lawmakers find compromise.

Cuts in grants to medical life and research that our region depend on could also be impacted. According to the American Cancer Society, National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants for research in California amount to more than $3.9 billion a year and pay the salaries of 63,000 people.

One local researcher tells KPBS that sequestration could hurt research, those who benefit from its discoveries and hamper future discoveries.

KPBS Midday Edition

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

What do you want to hear host Jade Hindmon talk about on Midday?

Amita Sharma

As an investigative reporter for KPBS, I've helped expose political scandals and dug into intractable issues like sex trafficking. I've raised tough questions about how government treats foster kids. I've spotlighted the problem of pollution in poor neighborhoods. And I've chronicled corporate mistakes and how the public sometimes ends up paying for them.

See stories by Amita Sharma

What issues need to be exposed in your community? Who should be called to account? When and how will long-festering problems be solved?