Penn State Cancer Institute
Based on the campus of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa., Penn State Cancer Institute is committed to fighting cancer on every front: through education and prevention, early detection and diagnosis, effective treatment and survivorship programs. Clinical services are offered at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA. Services are also offered at other locations in central Pennsylvania that include Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Reading, PA, Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center, Enola, PA, Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center, Lancaster, PA, and Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center, Camp Hill, PA.
At our primary location in Hershey, our facility provides patients access to all aspects of care in a single destination including:
- Infusion therapy suites and private rooms for chemotherapy
- A state-of-the-art radiation oncology suite for treatment options that refine tumor targeting and reduce treatment time, such as RapidArc radiotherapy
- A chemotherapy and infusion pharmacy staffed by clinical pharmacists and certified pharmacy technicians
- An outdoor healing garden that offers a quiet retreat for both patients and families
Seamlessly integrating these services creates a real-time medicine model that helps ensure each patient receives the right diagnosis and the right therapy at the right time.
Integrated in the same building where patients receive leading edge care for nearly 100 percent of cancer types, research is also underway into the causes, cures and prevention of cancer.
The Cancer Institute has three research programs focused on the themes of Population Health and Cancer Control, Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis and Experimental Therapeutics. Additionally, pediatric cancer research led by faculty at Penn State Health Children's Hospital and Penn State College of Medicine is a highly visible part of the Penn State Cancer Institute and greatly benefits from THON and Four Diamonds.
With a research presence in Hershey and at the University Park campus, the Penn State Cancer Institute is the centerpiece of Penn State’s commitment to discoveries that will lead to the prevention, treatment and cures for cancer.
The Penn State Cancer Institute (PSCI) is committed to fighting cancer on every front: through education and prevention, early detection and diagnosis, effective treatment and survivorship programs.
Clinical services are offered at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA. Services are also offered at other locations in central Pennsylvania that include Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Reading, PA, Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center, Enola, PA, Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center, Lancaster, PA, and Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center, Camp Hill, PA.
At the primary location in Hershey, the PSCI provides patients access to all aspects of care in a single destination including:
- Access to clinical trials for a broad spectrum of cancers
- Infusion therapy suites and private rooms for chemotherapy
- A state-of-the-art radiation oncology suite for treatment options that refine tumor targeting and reduce treatment time, such as RapidArc radiotherapy
- A chemotherapy and infusion pharmacy staffed by clinical pharmacists and certified pharmacy technicians
- An outdoor healing garden that offers a quiet retreat for both patients and families
Seamlessly integrating these services creates a real-time medicine model that helps ensure each patient receives the right diagnosis and the right therapy at the right time. Integrated in the same building where patients receive leading edge care for nearly 100 percent of cancer types, research is also underway into the causes, cures and prevention of cancer at all Penn State University campuses.
The Penn State Cancer Institute is the key institute for all Penn State faculty with research interests in cancer.
The mission of the PSCI is to discover, develop and disseminate scientific knowledge through compassionate cancer care, education and training, innovation and collaborative research for the shared purpose of reducing the burden of cancer in central Pennsylvania and beyond. The vision of the PSCI is to reduce the cancer burden in Pennsylvania to contribute to a cancer-free society. The core values of the PSCI underlie day-to-day activities, drive priorities and shape the PSCI mission, vision and goals.
- Compassion: Offer exceptional care and services benefitting the well-being of others.
- Excellence: Provide outstanding education and training, research, patient care, and community outreach and service.
- Collaboration: Promote multi-disciplinary engagement across all specialties spanning the cancer continuum.
- Community: Embrace and integrate community engagement into every aspect of the mission of the PSCI.
- Innovation: Advance the current state of cancer research and care through novel discoveries.
- Integrity: Adhere to the highest moral principles for all services, care, research, and activities performed.
- Respect: Embrace diversity, equity and belonging.
The Cancer Institute has three research programs focused on the themes of Population Health and Cancer Control, Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis and Experimental Therapeutics. Additionally, pediatric cancer research led by faculty at Penn State Health Children's Hospital and Penn State College of Medicine is a highly visible part of the Penn State Cancer Institute and greatly benefits from THON and Four Diamonds.
With a research presence in Hershey, University Park, and some commonwealth campuses, the Penn State Cancer Institute is the centerpiece of Penn State’s commitment to discoveries that will lead to the prevention, treatment and cures for cancer.
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Raymond J. Hohl, MD, PhD Professor, Departments of Medicine and Molecular and Precision Medicine, Director, Penn State Cancer Institute |
Jeffrey M. Peters, PhD Distinguished Professor of Molecular Toxicology & Carcinogenesis, Deputy Director, Penn State Cancer Institute |
Additional leaders include: Karam El-Bayoumy, PhD, Associate Director, Basic Research; Kristin Eckert, PhD, Associate Director, Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination; Mitchell Machtay, MD, Associate Director, Clinical Research; William Calo, Associate Director, Community Outreach and Engagement; Cheryl Thompson, PhD, Associate Director, Population Sciences.
Primary Strategic Goals
- Optimize the organizational capabilities and research infrastructure of the PSCI to meet the requirements and expectations of a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center and to achieve NCI designation.
- Expand mechanistic studies focusing on the bidirectional interactions between environmental factors, the microbiome and the immune system leading to carcinogenesis.
- Strengthen understanding of genetic, environmental/behavioral cancer risk factors among populations, disparities in populations, and develop, disseminate, and evaluate interventions that mitigate the relation between these factors and cancer incidence and outcomes.
- Translate scientific discoveries from molecular modeling, genomic analysis, engineered devices, diagnostic-imaging and therapeutic interventions into clinical practice.
- Expand the clinical research enterprise to increase growth in clinical trials and accrual to clinical trials to reach a goal of at least 300 patients a year on interventional-therapeutic research studies and overall accrual of at least 500 patients on all cancer related trials.
- Enhance bidirectional engagement between PSCI and catchment area stakeholders to catalyze PSCI research, outreach, care and training that is specifically relevant to the catchment area.
- Provide exceptional, innovative, cross-disciplinary, and integrated training at all stages of the career continuum to develop a robust and diverse cancer research workforce.
New faculty may want to contact the PSCI to:
- Learn about becoming a Penn State Cancer Institute member Links to an external site. in one of the three research programs, and how you can contribute to our mission and goals, and how the PSCI can help you engage with other scientists that may complement your research.
- Learn about the three PSCI research programs
Links to an external site., and whether any of these groups might help your program.
- Next-Generation Therapies – discovery and characterization of novel agents and pathways; translation of discoveries through innovative, preclinical proof-of-principle studies; and more effective cancer therapies.
- Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis – viral oncology, impact of chemicals and environmental/dietary agents on carcinogenesis and cancer chemoprevention with basic research.
- Cancer Control –research and interventions to reduce the incidence and mortality from cancer.
- Community Outreach and Engagement
- Learn about the PSCI Cancer Research Training Education Coordination (CRTEC) program Links to an external site. for all levels ranging from high school to senior faculty. CRTEC provides training for the next generation of cancer research investigators and prepares trainees for sustaining careers in cancer research. This research ranges from basic science that provides enhanced understanding of the mechanisms of cancer in the body, to population science that identifies cancer health disparities, to advances in clinical care for those diagnosed with cancer. The PSCI pipeline programs provide transdisciplinary cancer research training across all career levels, from pre-college through faculty.
- Learn about Shared Resources (CORES)
Links to an external site. supported by PSCI that may help your research.
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics – high-quality and timely biostatistics and bioinformatics support to Penn State Cancer Institute researchers. Members of this resource collaborate in the full spectrum of cancer research, including basic science, translational research, clinical trials and cancer prevention.
- Flow Cytometry – state-of-the-art fluorescence-activated cell sorting and analytical services. The facility provides three full-time staff and a faculty director to help investigators with all aspects of data collection including experiment design.
- Metabolomics –metabolomics are used to identify perturbations in the amounts of metabolites that may provide insights into the underlying biological processes involved in their production and how this contributes to carcinogenesis. Examination of biomarkers in biofluids as readouts for cancer detection and/or disease progression/regression.
- Organic Synthesis – synthesizing and providing chemical agents that are either not commercially available or cost-prohibitive, to facilitate ongoing cancer research. Discovering novel agents for the treatment and prevention of cancer.
Top 5 Items Faculty Should Know About Penn State Cancer Institute
Relevant Programming for New Faculty
Cancer Research Day Links to an external site. – Occurs annually in the fall on the University Park Campus.
Penn State Cancer Fun Facts
The PSCI is the only one of the seven PSU research institutes that interweaves clinical care, research, and community outreach to reduce the cancer burden for central Pennsylvania.
Additional Resources and Contact Information
Resources
Penn State Cancer website Links to an external site.
Contact Information
Penn State Cancer Institute
500 University Drive, CH72
Hershey, PA 17033
Phone: 717-531-4034
Fax: 717-531-0002