Lifespan announces unified cancer services, new chief of hematology/oncology

LIFESPAN IS COMBINING its various cancer treatment and research operations across the state under one new entity, the Lifespan Cancer Institute.
LIFESPAN IS COMBINING its various cancer treatment and research operations across the state under one new entity, the Lifespan Cancer Institute.

PROVIDENCE – Lifespan today announced that it will unify its cancer care services and research across all of its hospitals and outpatient centers under a single entity, the Lifespan Cancer Institute.

Formerly known as the Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Lifespan Cancer Institute will be led by Director Dr. David E. Wazer. At the same time Lifespan named Dr. Howard Safran the institute’s chief of hematology/oncology. A longtime Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital physician, Safran has served as Lifespan’s director of oncology cancer research since 2009 and has been interim director of hematology/oncology since 2015. Safran is also a professor of medicine at Brown University’s Warren Alpert School of Medicine.

“Lifespan is leading efforts regionally to find new treatments, improve the delivery of cancer care, and, ultimately, save more lives,” said Dr. Timothy J. Babineau, president and CEO of Lifespan. “The Lifespan Cancer Institute will be synonymous with treatment excellence and pioneering research.”

The institute is the largest program of its type in Rhode Island, said Lifespan, with four treatment locations – Rhode Island Hospital, the Miriam Hospital, Newport Hospital and an East Greenwich outpatient center. According to a news release, the Cancer Institute’s name is intended to reflect a new era of collaboration that ensures equal access to an array of treatments, technology, support and clinical trials for cancer patients.

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“This is an exciting time for providers and researchers in the myriad of cancer fields, and our goal is to accelerate progress,” said Wazer. “New frontiers in treatment including precision medicine and immunotherapy are showing promise for our patients in the battle against cancer. Greater coordination of Lifespan’s diverse resources will be critical to achieving the best possible outcomes and advancing toward a cure as quickly as possible.”

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