University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute

History of UPCI

In December 1982, a planning task force was appointed to determine the feasibility of forming a consortium for cancer research and care that would include the six University-affiliated hospitals that subsequently formed the core of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), the University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon University. In January 1984, the task force concluded that a consortium consisting of the affiliated hospitals and the two universities should proceed immediately with the establishment of the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (now called the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute). The affiliated hospitals and the two universities agreed to provide startup funds. These funds were supplemented by a $3 million grant to the University of Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, followed by an additional $3 million in 1986. The Foundation provided another $8 million in 1989 for further development of programmatic activities and for construction of laboratory facilities for the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, as a major component (88,000 ft²of laboratory and adjacent office space) of the University's new Biomedical Science Tower.  During that time, support from member institutions and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania increased, and an $1.5 million award from the Benedum Foundation provided additional vital support.

After an extensive national search, Ronald B. Herberman, MD, was recruited to the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute in September 1985 as its founding Director. Prior to coming to Pittsburgh, Dr. Herberman was Chief of the Biological Therapeutics Branch of the Biological Response Modifiers Program of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and for the last 18 months of his tenure there, he also served as Acting Director of the Biological Response Modifiers Program. Dr. Herberman's arrival ushered in a period of extraordinary growth for the UPCI. Under his leadership, the UPCI developed into a premier matrix organization, setting national standards for such complex institutes by successfully integrating excellent patient care with cutting-edge research. Since 1986, more than 300 cancer-related faculty have been recruited to the UPCI and participating institutions. Cancer-related funding has increased dramatically and consistently over the intervening years. The University of Pittsburgh is now ranked in the top fourteen nationally in terms of NCI funding and close to the top ten when funding of the other member institutions is included. Basic research facilities expanded significantly and new and expanded outpatient and inpatient units were developed.

At the same time, consolidation in the health care industry brought with it challenges but also new opportunities. The UPMC grew dramatically, when several institutions merged, and others were acquired by the UPMC. As expansion and integration progressed, a dozen Pittsburgh area hospitals were involved in mergers or acquisitions, resulting in the formation of the UPMC Health System (presently known as "UPMC"), an extensively integrated health care delivery system that is predominant throughout western Pennsylvania and which accounts for over 50 percent of all hospital admissions in the region. In 1997, Shadyside Hospital, an outstanding tertiary care community hospital located about 1.5 miles from the main UPMC Oakland campus, merged with the UPMC. One of the major elements in this merger was the agreement to shift a center of excellence from the Oakland campus to UPMC Shadyside, which was chosen to be UPCI. After several years of planning and construction, the Hillman Cancer Center (HCC) opened in August 2002. HCC serves as the central location for the majority of UPCI's cancer research laboratories and its faculty-staffed clinical outpatient services.

In parallel with the development of the Hillman Cancer Center, the UPCI worked closely with the UPMC to integrate the 180 basic research and clinical faculty members and nearly 900 health care personnel participating in the delivery or administration of clinical services. UPMC has given UPCI full responsibility for the cancer service line for the entire health system (under the name of UPMC Cancer Centers). The line is organized as an integrated and centrally managed hub-and-spoke system, with the Hillman Cancer Center at the center and a large number of community-based facilities distributed throughout western Pennsylvania and into adjacent areas of Ohio and West Virginia. By 2005, the UPCI/UPMC Cancer Centers is expected to have nine to eleven new operational full service, community-based UPMC Cancer Centers which will provide a comprehensive range of services including medical and radiation oncology, chemotherapy, behavioral medicine, laboratory services, and outpatient surgical oncology.

With recent expansions, the patient base has grown to more than 25,000 new patients per year, with approximately 80 percent of the new patients being seen at network sites. All community sites participate in clinical research, with the clinical research support staff being centrally based and managed by UPCI's Clinical Research Services. Thus, the broad patient base provides an excellent opportunity for increasing enrollment in clinical research studies. UPCI/UPMC Cancer Centers capture nearly half of the regional market for cancer care services; it is one of the largest clinical cancer operations in the country and is on track to become a national leader for dissemination of the latest advances in cancer treatment, diagnosis, and prevention to the entire population of the region.