When Dr. Ryan Fields straps on his helmet, climbs on his bike and clips into his pedals for this weekend’s Pedal the Cause 2023, he will be among hundreds of riders pushing the limits of their endurance to raise money to fund cancer research. But, when he completes his ride, his time and energy in fighting cancer doesn’t end.
Fields is the chief of surgical oncology at WashU and Siteman Cancer Center, and co-leader of the Solid Tumors Therapeutics Program. He works with patients battling pancreatic cancer, colon cancer that has spread to the liver, stomach cancer as well as skin cancer. And when he’s not working with patients, Fields is running research programs that help doctors better understand why some cancers are more aggressive and spread while others don’t.
“Remember the old “Hair Club for Men,” ads, where the guy would say, ‘I’m not just the president, I’m also a client’ Well that’s how I feel about Pedal. Although I’ve participated and raised a bunch of money, and been on the board, I’ve also researched a bunch of research grants for them to help get good cancer-fighting ideas off the ground,” said Fields.
What Pedal the Cause does
If you’ve been around St. Louis over the past 14 years, chances are you will be familiar with Pedal the Cause, the annual cycling challenge that has raised over $40 million in funding for cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center and Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
