MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, a clinically integrated partnership between Cooper University Health Care and MD Anderson Cancer Center that has transformed cancer care in the region, recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of its opening.
With more than a million patient visits, MD Anderson at Cooper has become a leading cancer center, providing New Jersey residents with advanced cancer care close to home.
“Our partnership with MD Anderson started with our commitment to providing comprehensive care to our patients and a vision to transform cancer care across South Jersey by bringing one of the world’s premier cancer centers to Camden. In 10 short years, MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper has become synonymous with advanced cancer treatment and care throughout the region,” George Norcross III, chairman of the board of trustees at Cooper University Health Care and MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, said. “The number of patients who choose MD Anderson at Cooper is growing year after year and has become the leading choice of cancer centers in consumer surveys because of the outstanding care and commitment of our entire cancer team. We look forward to continuing to change cancer outcomes for our patients for many years to come.”
The partnership is a full clinical integration between the two programs. MD Anderson at Cooper physicians adhere to the same philosophy, processes and guidelines, and patients receive the same proven practice standards and multi-disciplinary treatment plans provided by the specialists at MD Anderson in Houston.
Today, patients at MD Anderson at Cooper have access to more clinical trials, as well as a full range of prevention, diagnostic, treatment and supportive care services than ever before.
“MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, the market leader, has transformed cancer care in our region, with more than 1 million patient visits since 2013,” Kevin O’Dowd, co-CEO of Cooper University Health Care, said. “As we celebrate this 10-year anniversary, we are thankful for the dedication of the nationally recognized clinical, administrative and research team members who serve patients and their families each day. We are proud of our historic partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center, which has enabled us to offer patients greater access to cutting edge technology as well as promising first-in-the-nation clinical trials.”
Over the years, MD Anderson at Cooper has continuously focused on strategic growth. Each year, it launches new, innovative programs and services for patients, opens new locations so patients can receive quality, convenient care close to home and recruits highly skilled physicians, surgeons and other clinicians to the team.
“The success and continued growth of our partnership with the nation’s leading cancer center and of MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper over the past 10 years is overwhelmingly due to the dedicated team of cancer specialists, nurses, technicians and support staff in both organizations that focused on providing advanced, compassionate care and support to each patient and their families,” Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli, co-CEO of Cooper, said.
Since opening, MD Anderson at Cooper has undergone several expansions to provide more comprehensive cancer care services for patients. Milestones include:
- Opened the Janet Knowles Breast Cancer Center in July 2015;
- Created a dedicated 30-bed inpatient oncology unit — the only one in South Jersey — in July 2016;
- Expanded the outpatient infusion center on the Camden campus in November 2016;
- Opened a new outpatient diagnostic mammography center on the Camden campus in 2018;
- Opened a new 13,000-square-foot multiservice outpatient unit at its flagship Camden location, which includes a malignant hematology clinical suite, a hydration and blood production infusion suite, a full-service physical rehabilitation facility and an interventional radiology suite, in 2022;
- Established a Society of Surgical Oncology-approved Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program, one of fewer than 50 in the nation;
- Created a Second Opinion Program to help patients confirm a diagnosis, understand their treatment plans and alternatives and provide details about their type and stage of cancer;
- Launched a Rare Cancers Program, a one-stop access to advanced diagnostic and treatment services from a team of rare-cancer experts;
- Was named as a high-performing hospital nationally in colon cancer surgery, leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and prostate cancer surgery in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-2024 Best Hospitals annual survey.
Later this year, MD Anderson at Cooper will open South Jersey’s first stem cell transplant program, a 30-bed unit for patients with blood, bone marrow and other cancers.
“At MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, we always say, ‘no one fights cancer alone,’ and that is at the heart of who we are. I am incredibly proud of our entire team — for their expertise, skill, dedication and, most of all, their outstanding compassion. It has our privilege to serve the community and work with our partners in Texas for the past 10 years, and it has been personally and professionally rewarding to know we have made a difference in the lives of so many,” Dr. Generosa Grana, director of MD Anderson at Cooper, said.
