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1990

The three squared circles of the 36-ton marble sculpture by artist and patient Joe Dugan was unveiled when the West Building was opened in 1990. It symbolizes the Fox Chase mission of research, treatment, and prevention, goals that have continued to resonate nearly 35 years later.

 

LOOKING AHEAD TO FURTHER DISCOVERY, COLLABORATION, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY

As Fox Chase Cancer Center celebrates its 50th anniversary, it is instructive to look back and see how it has long been a beacon for how research and collaboration can change the community it serves and medicine in general. Fox Chase has made strides in both the discovery of new cancer treatments and the improvement of existing treatments, as well as in its pioneering work to cultivate a culture of education, equity, and collaboration.

As Fox Chase looks forward to the next 10 years, this mindset will continue to serve as a roadmap not only for the development of novel treatments but to an advanced landscape of diverse and educated healthcare leaders.

Fox Chase believes that discovery always leads the way, so a key goal will be translating paradigm-shifting discoveries to practice-changing treatments. Fox Chase will adopt a holistic approach to each patient and their cancer, thus providing tailored care. This will be accomplished through leveraging our expertise in cancer genetics and epigenetics to develop novel therapeutics and by dissecting the complex tumor microenvironment and harnessing the power of the host immune response to attack tumors.

In addition, Fox Chase will build upon its decades-long history of education and career development for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The institution’s goal will be to equip trainees with tools to be successful in their research endeavors and empower them with the skills needed for productive careers in science.

To do this, Fox Chase has begun developing novel pipelines with Temple University to hire and mentor talented college graduates and assist them in identifying opportunities for long-term careers or further education. Additionally, Fox Chase will continue to deploy new approaches to recruit talented scientific trainees and establish institutionally funded postdoctoral fellowships that include funds to pursue independent research.

Fox Chase is unmatched in its commitment to the recruitment, development, and inclusion of a workforce in which every voice is heard. With the aim of moving beyond the traditional diversity, equity, and inclusion metrics, Fox Chase intends to put its values into practice by identifying and reinforcing the norms and behaviors consistent with a healthy and successful organization.

By expanding access, optimizing care pathways, and enabling exchange of multidisciplinary expertise, Fox Chase works every day toward lowering the barriers and forging connections. As these bonds continue to grow within the institution and beyond, Fox Chase will seek to recruit, engage, and support a diverse workforce by inspiring everyone to be active contributors and collaborators.

Fox Chase believes in a diverse, nimble, and cohesive workforce, and aims to establish and implement training opportunities that encourage patient-centered, compassionate care, creative problem solving, and team-based excellence. In the years to come, Fox Chase’s commitment to empowering the rich diversity of talent within its walls will ensure exceptional care now and for generations to come.

 

FOX CHASE NATIONALLY RANKED BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

Fox Chase Cancer Center has earned national rankings of 33 in cancer and 19 in urology among the country’s top 50 hospitals in the 2024-2025 Best Hospitals rankings from U.S. News & World Report, which puts these programs in the top 4% nationally.

Known for its well-regarded “Best” series of consumer guides, U.S. News releases rankings in various categories for Best Hospitals every year. These guides are designed to help patients determine which hospitals provide the best care for the most serious or complicated medical conditions and procedures.

 

SECOND HIGHEST CANCER SURGERY VOLUME IN PENNSYLVANIA

According to the 2023 Cancer Surgery Volume Report from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4), Fox Chase Cancer Center performed the second highest number of cancer surgeries for the types of cancer tracked by PHC4 in the state of Pennsylvania in the last fiscal year.

Considered by surgical type, Fox Chase performed more bladder and prostate cancer surgeries than any other hospital in the state. The PHC4 based its numbers on data from July 2022 through June 2023.

“Data from PHC4 does not control for the size of the hospital, so being second in volumes when we are not the second largest hospital is even more impactful,” said Robert Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS, President and CEO of Fox Chase. “Because we know that higher volumes are linked to better outcomes, these numbers indicate that Fox Chase is a top performer for cancer surgery in the region. We hope these statistics will be helpful in providing cancer patients and their families with information to make important decisions.”

 

PROGRAM LEADERS WIN OUTSTANDING EDUCATOR PRIZE

The two leaders of Fox Chase’s Immersion Science Program (ISP) were awarded the Viktor Hamburger Outstanding Educator Prize from the Society for Developmental Biology (SDB). The award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding and innovative contributions to teaching and learning in developmental biology and related areas.

“The past winners of this award are rockstars; they’ve done incredibly impactful work. To know SDB sees this much value in our program is humbling,” said Alana M. O’Reilly, PhD, the Scientific Director of the ISP and Associate Professor in the Cancer Signaling and Microenvironment Research Program.

O’Reilly and Dara Ruiz-Whalen, PhD, the ISP’s Education Director, launched the program in 2013. Its purpose is to train underserved students with the core skills they need to succeed in research labs while helping foster their passion for science.

Instead of having the students repeat known experiments where the only outcomes are “right” or “wrong,” ISP is designed so that the students consistently build toward doing their own research projects, which they design based on the experiences and health challenges faced by themselves, family members, friends, and neighbors.

“We’re very proud to say we’re not a class or a program; we build a community,” said Ruiz-Whalen. “We’re changing the faces at the research benches.”

 

FOX CHASE CANCER CENTER OPENS FIRST NEW JERSEY LOCATION

Fox Chase Cancer Center opened a new office in Voorhees, New Jersey, in March 2024, making it the first that Fox Chase has opened in the state, with plans to expand further.

The office serves patients from within the region and beyond for treatment for urologic oncology, benign urologic conditions, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and radiation oncology consults.

“Roughly 20% of our current patients come to one of our Philadelphia locations from New Jersey. We are very excited to now be able to offer care closer to home for these patients,” said Robert Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS, President and CEO of Fox Chase.

The new office offers multiple services in urologic oncology and includes providers in prostate cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, adrenal mass, testicular cancer, penile cancer, ureteral cancer, and urethral cancer. Additionally, providers at the new location are available to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, hematuria, kidney stones, erectile dysfunction, and urethral stricture.

 

INVESTING IN RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS FOR CANCER PATIENTS

Fox Chase Cancer Center invested in Nucleus RadioPharma, a company specializing in the development and distribution of radiopharmaceuticals, targeted therapies that deliver radiation directly to cancer cells. The company’s technology platform is considered to be at the forefront of radiopharmaceutical research and designed to advance new therapies from clinical trials to commercialization.

Fox Chase and Nucleus have also signed a Letter of Intent to potentially enable a deeper collaboration, including partnership in developing a radiopharmaceutical manufacturing site and clinical trials involving radiopharmaceuticals.

“Investing in Nucleus RadioPharma is not just about funding a company but about catalyzing an entire sector. The investment will fuel ongoing clinical trials, currently numbering over 350, and make these targeted therapies more accessible,” said Robert Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS, President and CEO of Fox Chase.

Fox Chase’s investment comes from its Director’s Innovation Fund, which incentivizes translational research and science. This funding, along with investments from several other organizations, including the Mayo Clinic, will help accelerate Nucleus RadioPharma’s initiatives in research, manufacturing, and supply chain efficiencies.

Radiopharmaceuticals stand out as an effective treatment for solid tumors, which constitute about 90% of all cancer cases. With an estimated 1.9 million new cancer diagnoses expected in 2023 alone, the potential impact of this funding is far-reaching.

 

SOCIAL WORKER RECEIVES COMPASSIONATE CARE AWARD

Anjali Albanese, MSW, LSW, OSW-C, a licensed social worker, received the Compassionate Care Award from the Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA).

The award is given annually to recognize a patient/nurse navigator — clinical/nurse, community health worker, social worker in the role of a navigator — for their outstanding contributions to patient care, support, or education. Albanese was nominated for the award by her patient Tiffany Sontos and her coworker Stephanie Greco, MD, FACS, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology.

“I have learned how to fly with broken wings, and I have Anjali to thank, because she is one of my biggest cheerleaders,” said Sontos. “She is my navigator through the healthcare system, and most importantly, she sees me as a person, not just a number. Anjali truly is and will always be my angel on earth.”

The SFA is a nonprofit charitable organization that advocates for increased research to find new and better therapies to treat patients with sarcoma. The organization raises money to privately fund grants for sarcoma researchers and conducts education and advocacy efforts on behalf of sarcoma patients.

 

FOX CHASE WELCOMES NKEMDILIM MGBOJIKWE

Fox Chase welcomed Nkemdilim Mgbojikwe, MD, as Associate Chief Medical Officer. Additionally, Mgbojikwe serves as an Associate Professor and a Hospitalist in the Department of Medicine.

Mgbojikwe previously worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she served as Clinical Director of the Division of Hospital Medicine, Medical Director for four medical/surgical units caring for over 70 complex patients, and as Medical Co-Director of the Medicine Progressive Care Unit. At the Johns Hopkins Health System, Mgbojikwe served as Director for Acute Virtual Care Strategy. She also served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Her focus includes acute care, health system operations, innovation, and strategy. She has been actively involved in healthcare leadership, including serving as a subject matter expert for the Johns Hopkins Hospital at Home executive team.

She has also developed curriculum and training programs for acute care; teaching and mentoring medical students, residents, nurses, and multispecialty attending faculty; and much more. She remains involved at a national level in multiple strategy, education, and policy initiatives around acute and post-acute care and care delivery innovation for adult patients.

 

WELCOMING DAPO AMOSU

Dapo Amosu, MS, PharmD, DPLA, joined Fox Chase as its new Senior Director of Pharmacy. With more than 25 years of experience, Amosu is responsible for the medication use process for both the inpatient and ambulatory care environments, including clinical pharmacy practice management, pharmaceuticals procurement and inventory oversight, and administrative pharmacy activities.

He works closely and collaboratively with clinicians, senior leadership, and colleagues from various departments regarding pharmacy programs and related patient care services, including the delivery of pharmaceutical services, the state of relevant technology and equipment, and patient safety matters.

He will also provide leadership, as needed, for the infusion center at Fox Chase Cancer Center - Temple University Hospital Broad Street and Fox Chase Cancer Center - Chestnut Hill Hospital Regional Campus in collaboration with the health system’s Chief Pharmacy Officer. Amosu serves as the second-ever head of pharmacy in Fox Chase’s history.

In addition, Amosu serves on key committees within Fox Chase and represents the center in the broader oncology arena, including on the guidelines committees of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the Pharmacy Directors Committee of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers.

 

UKRAINE PHYSICIANS DISCUSS CANCER CARE DURING WAR

Four physicians from Ukraine who specialize in the treatment of cancer visited Fox Chase Cancer Center in November of 2023 to discuss the challenges they faced delivering care during wartime.

The special seminar came after the four shadowed Fox Chase physicians for two weeks as they conducted clinical rounds, attended department meetings, and discussed departmental structure and best practices.

The physicians described a dramatic influx of patients, coupled with more safety concerns as routines became interrupted by the need to regularly move to shelters due to bombings. Before the seminar, the four were presented with Fox Chase warm-up jackets to commemorate their visit.

“We really appreciate the Pennsylvania medical community being so welcoming and responsive in its support of our nation’s resilient fight for its freedom, independence, and right to exist,” Rostyslav Semikov, MD, said after the event. “Your Liberty Bell is a great reminder that Americans were in a similar position almost 250 years ago. It is now our turn to break up with a dark colonial past to build a land of opportunity that allows for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Semikov is the founder of the Peace and Development Foundation and Audubon Bioscience, which, along with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, made the visit possible.

 

BUCKINGHAM SITE EXPANDED

Fox Chase began welcoming patients to its newly expanded Fox Chase - Buckingham Regional Campus, which is located in Furlong, Pennsylvania, in April 2024.

“With this expansion, we have been able to add chemotherapy infusion and surgical consults to the other cancer services that were previously available at this site,” said Robert Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS, President and CEO of Fox Chase.

Fox Chase invested $1.9 million in the Buckingham expansion, which includes the addition of eight infusion chairs, seven exam rooms, and a CT scanner.

Fox Chase - Buckingham is home to Temple Health System’s CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System, which delivers high-dose targeted radiation that can be completed in just a few sessions. It is an outpatient procedure that does not require incisions, anesthesia, or hospitalization. The treatment is usually administered to patients being treated for lung, liver, or kidney cancer.

Fox Chase - Buckingham became the center’s first network facility when it opened in 2009.

 

UNVEILING REDESIGNED CLINICAL SPACE IN ROCKLEDGE

Fox Chase Cancer Center and the Fox Chase - Temple Urologic Institute welcomed patients to the newly renovated and expanded clinical space located on the third floor of the Fox Chase - Huntingdon Pike Regional Campus in Rockledge, Pennsylvania. The renovations were aimed at significantly improving care for urology and urologic oncology patients both within the region and beyond.

The Urologic Institute is designed to provide a seamless transition for patients with urologic cancers who require treatment for benign urology conditions following cancer therapy.

Since moving to this location in 2008, the Department of Urology and the Urologic Institute, which launched in 2023, have grown from four urology attending physicians and three physician assistants to 13 attending physicians and nine physician assistants.

“This expansion of clinical space will allow us to continue to provide that high level of transformative care by not only increasing the number of patients we can see on a daily basis, but by providing them with a more streamlined treatment experience,” said Alexander Kutikov, MD, FACS, Chair of the Department of Urology at Fox Chase.