Penn State Cancer Institute

The Penn State Cancer Institute is a nationally recognized cancer research center of the Penn State Hershey Medical Center located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Institute provides clinical care, research, education and community outreach services throughout central and eastern Pennsylvania. It serves approximately 3,000 inpatients and 22,500 outpatients annually.

Affiliated member institutions
The Penn State Cancer Institute currently has affiliations with several other healthcare institutions throughout Pennsylvania, including:
 * Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pennsylvania
 * Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania
 * Lewistown Hospital in Lewistown, Pennsylvania
 * Wyoming Valley Health Care System in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania area
 * Susquehanna Health System in Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Leadership
The Penn State Cancer Institute is led by Thomas Loughran, M.D., who, prior to becoming the Center Director for PSCI in 2002, was the leader of the Hemotological Melignancies program at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa, Florida.

Chandra Belani, M.D., joined the PSCI in July of 2007 as the Deputy Director and Associate Center Director for Clinical Investigations.

Master Plan for Expansion
The Penn State Cancer Institute has plans to expand. In order to integrate top-quality research and care with the educational mission of the Medical Center, it plans to add more than 155,000 square feet of clinical space, laboratories, radiation and chemotherapy facilities, and administrative offices in a freestanding facility. Researchers and caregivers will be more closely connected, and will have the resources for strategic partnerships with scientists at Penn State's other campuses. The Cancer Institute will move toward designation by the National Cancer Institute as a comprehensive center. The designation will give researchers access to millions of new support dollars annually and enable them to recruit the very best researchers and attract patients from beyond central and eastern Pennsylvania. The new facility will move it into the national forefront of medical research, while still providing the best in cancer care to patients. The total cost of the new Cancer Center (combined with the Children's Hospital expansion) is well in excess of $200 million. To complement funding through federal and state grants, borrowing, and Medical Center reserves, the Cancer Institute is seeking to raise $65 million in philanthropy.

External References

 * Official Website
 * Jake Gittlen Cancer Research Foundation