Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center reaches five-year anniversary

 

This week marks the five-year anniversary of the opening of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., said the impact of the cancer center has only grown as the time has passed.

"Five years after its opening, the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center continues to lead the world in the battle against cancer," Dr. Gold said. "With innovative public-private partnerships, illustrated most recently in the legislature’s support of the cutting-edge Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence, the center and its leaders continue to explore fresh and promising research avenues and clinical interventions in prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of cancer as we look ahead to the next five years and beyond."

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"Thanks to a dedicated team, the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center has accomplished truly extraordinary things in the past five years," said Theresa Franco, vice president of Nebraska Medicine cancer services. "I’m incredibly proud and privileged to be a part of all the amazing work that together has been done to advance cancer care in the region. I am in awe of what has been achieved in the last five years, from bringing in CAR T-cell therapy — a very complex treatment option for blood and bone marrow patients who have been given new hope in their cancer fight to surgical advances in lymphedema, breast, spine and pancreatic diseases.

"Our ability to provide state of the art radiation therapy techniques, new clinical services for cancer risk and prevention, and extend our offerings  to address all the needs of our cancer patients, even during a global pandemic is a tribute to our team of talented individuals," Franco said. "The best part of the Buffett Cancer Center is knowing that after five years, we are just getting started in changing the world in cancer care."

Ken Cowan, MD, PhD, director and physician in chief of the center, noted that the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designed cancer center in Nebraska, and the during the recent renewal of the NCI support grant – which reviewed all research programs, publications and clinical trials at the center – the center received a stellar score from reviewers and increased funded.

"Patients, faculty, staff and students have repeatedly commented over the past five years that the cancer center has created a unique environment for outstanding care for cancer patients and greater opportunities for cancer researchers and clinicians to work closely together on new therapies for cancer treatment and prevention," Dr. Cowan said.

"I knew when I joined Nebraska Medicine and the cancer services team that it was special," said Kyle Skiermont, PharmD, who is set to transition to lead cancer services at the beginning of July as Theresa Franco will retire at the end of 2022. "We hope to take what’s been created within the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and continue to build upon its excellence for the next five, 10 and 20 years. This facility means so much to our patients and staff. It’s a place of healing and hope, it’s truly transformational."

The feedback from patients, faculty and staff has been overwhelmingly positive as we continue to attract patients from various parts of the region, said Franco.

"Our physician-scientists continue working to discover new therapies, and we continue to provide world-class educational opportunities for our students," Dr. Gold said. "We have been awarded grant funding at a gratifying pace and have once more received recognition as an NCI-designated cancer center, all while recruiting top-notch physicians and scientists from across the country. The ongoing trust and support of the communities that we serve have been truly remarkable."

1 comment

  1. E. Silva, MD, PhD says:

    Congratulations. I am very proud to have been part of this great team.
    E. Silva, MD, PhD, FACS, FSSO
    Professor Emeritus
    Surgical Oncology

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