Cooper and MD Anderson Cancer Center Officially Enter Partnership

CAMDEN, N.J., Sept. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Cooper University Health Care and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center signed a partnership agreement to create MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper in Camden. This new, integrated cancer center will be the first partnership for MD Anderson in the Northeast. MD Anderson is located in Houston, Texas, and is the No. 1 cancer center in the United States according to U.S. News and World Report's "Best Hospitals" survey for the last 10 of 12 years.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130926/PH87591LOGO )

"Today, our partnership becomes a reality and a beacon of hope for cancer patients in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and beyond," said George E. Norcross, III, Chairman of the Board at Cooper.

"MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper will take cancer care in our region to a new level by bringing the best proven methods of cancer treatment and an increased access to MD Anderson clinical trials right here in New Jersey."

Clinicians and program leaders at both institutions have been working towards full integration of cancer care to be delivered at Cooper. Cooper clinicians have traveled to MD Anderson to begin collaborating on cancer care delivery models. In addition to this physician integration, the partnership will provide patients across the region access to MD Anderson's world-renowned treatment protocols, clinical trials and cutting edge translational research.

MD Anderson has also been working with Cooper on-site as preparations are finalized to open the new $100 million cancer center on the Cooper Health Sciences Campus on October 7. The state-of-the-art, free-standing facility will house all outpatient cancer care services with a multidisciplinary approach to oncology care. Services will include medical, radiation and surgical oncology, as well as pathology, laboratory, diagnostic imaging and other supportive clinical services.

"We're proud to unite with Cooper University Health Care to offer the highest quality cancer care in the region," said MD Anderson President Ronald DePinho, MD. "Our mission, simply, is to end cancer. This partnership is an extraordinary opportunity for us to advance that mission by extending our compassionate and effective clinical care and, in turn, positively impacting the lives of many."

MD Anderson ranks first in the number of research grants awarded and total amount of grant funds given by the National Cancer Institute. In Fiscal Year 2012, more than 115,000 patients turned to the institution for cancer care. MD Anderson's mission is to eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation and the world through outstanding programs that integrate patient care, research and prevention, and through education for undergraduate and graduate students, trainees, professionals, employees and the public.

About Cooper University Health Care

Cooper University Health Care is one of the largest health systems in southern New Jersey with over 100 outpatient offices and its flagship, Cooper University Hospital located in Camden, NJ. It is the premier university hospital serving South Jersey and the Delaware Valley. Cooper has reaffirmed its role as a leader in medical education and research with the opening of Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in 2012, the first four-year allopathic medical school in South Jersey. Cooper is renowned for signature programs in cardiology, cancer, critical care, pediatrics, trauma, orthopaedics and neurosciences. Cooper is also home to the only state designated Children's Hospital in South Jersey—The Children's Regional Hospital at Cooper. Over the last decade, Cooper has transformed its Camden City neighborhood into the Cooper Health Sciences Campus. In October 2013, the new MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, a free standing cancer center for comprehensive care, will open on the Health Sciences Campus. Cooper also continues its regional expansion with the opening of new and expanded facilities throughout Camden, Burlington and Gloucester Counties.

About MD Anderson

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. MD Anderson is one of only 41 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). For ten of the past 12 years, including 2013, MD Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in "Best Hospitals," a survey published annually in U.S. News & World Report. MD Anderson receives a cancer center support grant from the NCI of the National Institutes of Health (P30 CA016672).

SOURCE Cooper University Health Care