For Immediate Release
February 23, 2005

Roswell Park Pastoral Care Division Appoints Two

Buffalo, NY – Rabbi Gershon Baron and Reverend James R. Bastian have been appointed to the Pastoral Care Division, Department of Psychosocial Oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI).

Rabbi Baron comes to RPCI from Attica, Wyoming and Wende Correctional Facilities where he served as a Jewish Chaplain until June, 2004. He was appointed Rabbi-Jewish Chaplain by the New York State Department of Correctional Services and is endorsed by the New York Board of Rabbis. He was President of the Flemington NJ Clergy Counsel, President of the Monroe County, PA Ministerial Association and a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Monroe County, the Fellowship of Traditional Rabbis and the Union for Traditional Judaism. Rabbi Baron is a graduate from Boston University School of Liberal Arts, Boston, MA.

Rev. Bastian was appointed as part-time Catholic Chaplain at RPCI by the Diocese of Buffalo. He also will continue to serve as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish, Orchard Park, NY. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from Christ the King Seminary, East Aurora, NY, in 1994 and was ordained a Catholic priest for the Buffalo Diocese in 1995.

The Pastoral Care Division is an inter-faith department supporting a holistic approach to the treatment of cancer patients that emphasizes the integration of spiritual, emotional, social, psychological and physical care. Working collaboratively with other health care professionals, the Pastoral Care Division provides spiritual care to all patients and families regardless of religious affiliation.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute- designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York.  RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers.  For more information, visit RPCI’s website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.

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