Cancer Care Innovation Unit Opens in Conklin Building
The dedicated clinical trials unit officially opened in October at the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute at Hartford Hospital, the newest outgrowth of our pioneering membership in the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Alliance.
The number of new drugs approved by the Food & Drug Administration through clinical trials has greatly increased over the past decade. The new Cancer Care Innovation Unit provides access to breakthrough therapies at the earliest possible moment in their development, allowing patients fresh options for cancer therapy.
“The six-patient unit is an important step forward in advancing our clinical trials portfolio through our MSK partnership,” said Dr. Peter Yu, physician-in-chief of the institute. “We expect that we will need to expand it in the near future as well as we bring more clinical trial options to patients at other Hartford HealthCare locations.
This is a landmark event that shows we have reached a critical mass in our resources and capabilities that will allow us to move at an ever faster pace to improve the lives of patients with cancer and their families and loved ones.”
At the ribbon cutting for the unit, Kristi Gafford, vice president of operations for the Cancer Institute, said, “Today we make a dream a reality. It could not have been done without the generosity and hard work of our community.”
Inspired by the work of the MSK Alliance, Hartford Hospital Corporators Jack Corroon and Bill Thomson led philanthropic efforts to fund construction of the unit. The Cancer Care Innovation Unit is just the latest example of how the MSK Alliance has invigorated cancer care in Connecticut.