Moffitt Cancer Center is celebrating the renewal of its National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. The cancer center has held this designation for 20 years and is the only institution based in Florida to have this distinction.

I recently sat down with Dr. John Cleveland, Moffitt Center Director, to discuss the impact of this National Cancer Institute designation.

Hwu:

Dr. Cleveland, you recently renewed the National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center Grant from Moffitt Cancer Center. Tell us about that. What does National Cancer Institute designation mean?

Cleveland:

It means really that you are doing everything from A to Z in terms of patient care. You’re doing research that makes discoveries that changes our understanding of cancer. You’re driving that research into the clinic in first-of-a-kind clinical trials that then becomes the standard of care. It’s also to reach out to the community and make a difference. We have 15 counties that we currently serve and we're expanding that to 25 to serve half of the population of the state of Florida, and we're excited to take our science, take our clinical trials to the residents of the state of Florida.

Hwu:

Why is it important for patient to seek care at a comprehensive cancer center?

Cleveland:

Comprehensive cancer centers provide access to clinical trials that are going to be lifesaving. Clinical trials represent an opportunity for patients to take state-of-the-art new therapies that are coming out of our work and out of other cancer centers to be put on trials that could save their lives. And as you are a physician scientist Dr. Hwu, you know that patients now are walking around who are otherwise would not be walking around on this earth.

Hwu:

Now, one of our other major goals is to educate the next generation of cancer researchers and health practitioners. So, what are we doing at Moffitt to help educate that next generation?

Cleveland:

Yes, we have a very strong Cancer Biology Ph.D. Program with the University of South Florida. It's one of the preeminent programs in the nation that includes integrated mathematical oncology, chemical biology, applied immunotherapy and cancer biology. We need to train our next generation of scientists, staff, nurses, APPs, physicians, researchers that commit to help address the needs that we have here in Florida, which is dire.

Hwu:

Congratulations again on, on renewing this Comprehensive Cancer Center. I hear that we go the best score ever in the history of Moffitt Cancer Center.

Cleveland:

I was really pleased with the team. During a pandemic year, we all knuckled down and came up with our best application ever. It got the highest ranking that we've ever received, and so I'm very, very proud of the team. We have 192 faculty who are members of the cancer center including yourself, and everyone’s efforts came across in our highest ranking ever.