UF Health Cancer Center is now an institute
Press release from UF Health
BY LEAH BULETTI
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida has conferred the prestigious title of institute to the University of Florida Health Cancer Center, a reflection of its prominence in cancer research at UF and as one of the country’s top institutions for cancer care and research.
Institute designation is reserved for units that provide a broad array of university services across multiple colleges and requires approval from its top research leadership and the state Board of Governors. The UF elevation recognizes that the UF Health Cancer Institute has engaged not only researchers in the health science colleges, but researchers across all 16 colleges at the state’s flagship university, from Agricultural and Life Sciences to Engineering to Medicine to Veterinary Medicine.
The change reflects the institute’s upward trajectory, coming two years after it became the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center at a public institution in the state.
“The UF Health Cancer Institute is responsible for driving cancer research throughout our university, impacting the lives of current and future generations,” said David Norton, Ph.D., the university’s vice president for research. “The efforts of this institute and its researchers will continue to elevate UF as a powerhouse in the field.”
The change also reflects the institute’s increasing impact on cancer care in Florida, which has the nation’s second-highest cancer burden. This year, UF Health Shands Hospital was ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the country for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report.
“Delivering exceptional clinical care means integrating innovation, education, and discovery into our everyday work — a driving force and a commitment behind everything we do,” said Stephen Motew, M.D., M.H.A., FACS, UF Health president and system CEO. “Our patients have come to rely on us for this level of integrated care.”
The best possible solutions come from a multidisciplinary, cross-collaborative focus, said Jonathan Licht, M.D., the institute’s director.
“Our approach has always been to engage the entire university to address the problem of cancer, and we have strengthened the academic coordination we provide for cancer researchers across UF,” Licht said. “We plan to grow our impact by fostering collaborations to meet the challenges of cancer in the 21st century, while cultivating leaders in the field and training the next generation of investigators.”
With an annual research budget of $55 million, the UF Health Cancer Institute draws more than 350 members from all 16 UF colleges, including more than a dozen at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology. The institute drives cancer research by fostering team science through initiatives like pilot grants, symposia, and a new grant program using highly specialized drug screening tools uniquely available at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute.
Carlos Rinaldi-Ramos, Ph.D., a professor in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, came to UF to expand his research in cancer nanomedicine. As an engineer, he found a supportive, thriving research environment at the UF Health Cancer Institute, where he met his research collaborator Duane Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., and received pilot funding.
“My current NIH-funded projects studying the use of magnetic particle imaging are a direct result of the highly collaborative cancer research environment at UF,” Rinaldi-Ramos said. “I now help other engineering faculty to connect with cancer researchers. The new UF Health Cancer Institute recognizes how researchers from across all UF contribute to the mission of eradicating cancer.”
Indeed, UF researchers work on all aspects of cancer. Communication researchers use AI to develop digital avatars to train physicians on patient communication. Data scientists harness large data sets to predict cancer patterns, molecular biologists unravel the genetic drivers of cancer, and immuno-oncologists discover how the microbiome can help boost responses to cancer treatment.
Researchers prioritize prevalent and deadly cancers in the institute’s 26-county service area, like brain, breast, colorectal, and lung. At UF Health, patients have access to more than 200 active cancer clinical trials. Many are for new treatments available only at UF for pediatric, brain, and other cancers.
Now, the institute will further develop its research programs in cancer therapy, prevention, and survivorship. Over the next decade, it will expand its focus on clinical research sciences as it works toward comprehensive designation from the National Cancer Institute.
“With the power of this university behind us, we’re more equipped than ever to accelerate cancer research and transform cancer care for the patients and families who need it most,” Licht said.