The Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center has been renewed as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the nation's largest funder of cancer research. The five-year renewal comes with a $26.9 million Cancer Center Support Grant, strengthening HICCC's cancer research and patient care that serves a catchment area of 11 million people in the New York City metropolitan region and beyond.
NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers meet rigorous standards for integrated, patient-centered research and care that advance prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. Designated in 1972 as one of the first NCI cancer centers, the HICCC gained comprehensive status in 1979. Today, the HICCC is one of just 57 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States, placing it among the top 4% of cancer centers in the country.
"We are exceptionally proud of this redesignation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, the highest honor given by the NCI, underscoring Columbia's strength in discovery science and team-based innovation. I am confident that Herbert and Florence Irving would be proud to see how our impact on cancer has flourished through their extraordinary generosity, putting Columbia at the forefront of cutting-edge clinical and research programs that are changing the future of cancer," says Katrina Armstrong, MD, CEO of Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
"We are proud to receive this NCI redesignation and support for the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, where our world-class cancer clinicians and leading scientists are pioneering research and advancing care to improve the health of the communities we serve and create a healthier future for all," adds Steven J. Corwin, MD, President and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian. "The redesignation allows us to continue vital work expanding access to clinical trials, bringing breakthrough treatments to the bedside, and transforming the way cancer care is delivered."
The HICCC brings together more than 300 researchers and clinicians, works across seven schools and 37 departments at Columbia University and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and conducts clinical trials in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. The cancer center serves as an essential connector and driver across the multi-disciplinary cancer research spanning Columbia's campuses, as well as serving an educational mission with more than 500 trainee associate members. In addition, the HICCC has a robust community outreach and engagement program that works with community partners to provide crucial education and outreach to remove access barriers to cancer prevention, screening, treatment and survivorship services.
"This renewal recognizes the unwavering dedication of our clinicians, scientists, staff, and community partners to our mission-advancing cancer discovery, delivering the highest-quality treatment, and expanding prevention to benefit every neighborhood we serve," says Anil K. Rustgi, MD, Herbert and Florence Irving Director of the HICCC, Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Medicine at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Chief of the Cancer Service at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
The Cancer Center Support Grant sustains and grows key programs in the cancer center, including four research programs that span discovery, translation and population sciences, to clinical trials, oncology education and training, and community outreach and engagement.
"NCI's continued investment enables us to broaden access to innovative clinical trials, generate real-world evidence, and translate breakthroughs faster-so that more patients benefit from the most effective, personalized care," says Dawn Hershman, MD, MS, FASCO, HICCC deputy director and Witten Family and American Cancer Society Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
The competitive renewal follows a rigorous NCI peer-review and site visit evaluating scientific impact, leadership, clinical research, training, community outreach, and shared resources-and launches a new five-year funding period to advance this work.
"This major milestone extends HICCC's legacy of leadership, accelerating breakthroughs from the lab to the clinic and strengthening our impact across New York and beyond," says Rustgi.
