AdventHealth, Moffitt Cancer Center join forces to improve cancer care for Floridians

ORLANDO, Fla. — Moffitt Cancer Center and AdventHealth are partnering to provide world-class cancer treatment and better access to cancer prevention, education, cancer screenings and early phase clinical trials.

The two organizations will work together to establish a clinical research facility and chemotherapy/immunotherapy infusion program at AdventHealth Celebration focused on solid tumor malignancies and malignant hematology and will allow Central Florida patients to receive critical treatments closer to home.  

“Both organizations share patient-centric cultures and Moffitt is excited to partner with AdventHealth to bring world-class treatment and cancer research to Central Florida,” said Moffitt President and CEO Alan F. List, M.D. “Cancer does not discriminate by region and access to world-class care should be available to all who need it. This partnership leverages the strength of two institutions both focused on innovation and research in Florida.”

At AdventHealth Celebration, researchers from both organizations will conduct early phase clinical trials to develop new drugs — the first and only Phase I site in Central Florida.

This partnership extends to AdventHealth’s West Florida division as well, where a new Moffitt outpatient satellite cancer center is under construction at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel.

“By joining with Moffitt Cancer Center, we are ensuring our patients have access to Moffitt’s leading-edge research, clinical trials and novel treatments,” said Daryl Tol, President & CEO of AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division. “This partnership is a key element of AdventHealth’s ongoing major investment in and expansion of cancer treatment and research operations.”

That investment includes innovative treatments such as immunotherapy and state-of-the-art space for cancer research, Tol said. The new clinical research facility will mirror that of the existing facility already operating on the Moffitt campus.

According to Moffitt Cancer Center Director and Executive Vice President Thomas A. Sellers, PhD, MPH, “We are excited to partner with AdventHealth, leveraging our complementary strengths to turn innovative research into cutting-edge treatment and prevention for all those touched by cancer. I commend AdventHealth for their commitment to the promise of a National Cancer Institute designated comprehensive cancer consortium.”

The partnership will develop a single cancer research agenda shared across both organizations. This will include expanding research activities and recruitment of innovative cancer investigators to the AdventHealth Orlando and Celebration campuses. It will accelerate  breakthrough research for the prevention and cure of cancer.   

Patients across Florida will have increased access to research, personalized medicine and innovation through this relationship. Combining the breadth and depth of the clinical and research talent at Moffitt and AdventHealth, combined with the significant patient populations that we serve, will help advance personalized cancer care, with the goal of finding  new discoveries in the fight against cancer.  

About AdventHealth

Founded in 1908 by pioneering Seventh-day Adventists who believed in whole-person health — healing the body, mind and spirit — AdventHealth has grown into one of the largest nonprofit hospitals in the country, caring for more than two million patient visits per year in metro Orlando alone. AdventHealth operates approximately 50 hospitals and hundreds of care centers in nearly a dozen states, making it one of the largest faith-based health-care systems in the United States.

AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division encompasses 18 hospitals in the seven counties in and surrounding metro Orlando: Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Polk, Lake, Volusia and Flagler. The Central Florida Division’s care network also includes more than 30 CentraCare urgent-care centers; dozens of sports-rehab and imaging centers; and hundreds of physicians, ranging from primary care to a full spectrum of specialties.

AdventHealth Orlando, the division’s flagship campus, serves both as a community hospital and as a major tertiary referral hospital for the region, much of the Southeast, the Caribbean and Latin America.

AdventHealth Orlando is a designated statutory teaching hospital and trains physicians from around the world on the newest technology and procedures. The system provides a wide range of health services, including many nationally and internationally recognized programs in cardiology, cancer, women’s medicine, neuroscience, diabetes, orthopedics, pediatrics, transplant and advanced surgical programs.

The AdventHealth Research Institute has more than 250 investigators and more than 500 clinical trials in progress. AdventHealth Orlando is also home to the Translational Research Institute for Metabolism & Diabetes and the Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement.

About Moffitt Cancer Center

Moffitt is dedicated to one lifesaving mission: to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. The Tampa-based facility is one of only 51 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt’s scientific excellence, multidisciplinary research, and robust training and education. Moffitt is a Top 10 cancer hospital and has been nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report since 1999. Moffitt devotes more than 2 million square feet to research and patient care. Moffitt’s expert nursing staff is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with Magnet^® status, its highest distinction. With more than 6,000 team members, Moffitt has an economic impact in the state of $2.5 billion. For more information, call 1-888-MOFFITT (1-888-663-3488), visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the momentum on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.