The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) is pleased to add Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute at ChristianaCare to its membership roster. Based in Newark, Delaware, the cancer center is AACI’s first member from the state.
Led by Bank of America Endowed Medical Director Thomas Schwaab, MD, PhD, the multidisciplinary cancer center serves most patients with cancer in Delaware. Selected as a Community Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Graham Cancer Center offers advanced medical, surgical, and radiation procedures and diagnostic services, including the ChristianaCare Breast Center, an outpatient facility featuring the only dedicated breast MRI in the region.
Through its membership in the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), the cancer center offers cutting-edge NCORP clinical trials and pharmaceutical trials, with at least 700 patients enrolled in as many 130 unique NCI-funded clinical trials at any given time. A 2009 partnership with the University of Delaware and Delaware Biotechnology Institute led to the establishment of the Cawley Center for Translational Research, which applies a “bench-to-bedside” model to investigations of breast and colon cancer, radiation oncology, and tissue engineering. Additional partners include the ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute and the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center of The Wistar Institute, also an AACI member.
“One of the greatest benefits of AACI membership is the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with cancer centers across North America,” said AACI Executive Director Jennifer W. Pegher. “With its commitment to community oncology and clinical trials, the Graham Cancer Center brings an innovative approach to cancer research and care. We’re delighted to welcome them as our newest member.”