Dana-Farber’s Cantor Center Celebrates 25 Years of Advancing Nursing Science and Easing the Burden of Cancer

Twenty-five years ago, a visionary gift helped transform oncology nursing research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Established in 2001 with support from Richard Cantor honoring the expert, compassionate care his late wife, Phyllis, received during her cancer treatment, the Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services has since become a national leader in nursing science dedicated to easing the burden of cancer for patients and families.

Over the past quarter century, Cantor Center nurse scientists have published more than 1,000 peer-reviewed studies while building a robust model that integrates research directly into patient care. Their work spans patient decision-making, symptom science, health behaviors, genetic testing implications, intervention development and innovative technologies—all aimed at improving quality of life during and beyond cancer treatment.

When the Cantor Center was founded, PhD-level nurse scientists typically required academic faculty appointments to pursue research and a clinical partner to enroll patients into nurse-led studies and translate findings into patient care. In addition, at most cancer centers—including Dana-Farber—few formal pathways existed for nurse-led research that could inform practice.

Through Cantor’s philanthropy and the leadership of Dana-Farber President and CEO Emeritus Dr. David G. Nathan and his successor, Dr. Edward J. Benz Jr., the institute set a bold new standard: nursing research would stand alongside Dana-Farber’s other integrative research centers in stature, rigor and institutional support. As the Cantor Center has evolved, according to director Dr. Marilyn Hammer, so has the breadth of its work which has expanded to address critical scientific gaps and accelerate the translation of discoveries into oncology clinical care.

“The Cantor Center is uniquely positioned within both Nursing and Patient Care Services and Population Sciences at Dana-Farber,” Hammer said. “That alignment creates a powerful engine for nursing science to drive interprofessional precision health research—and to translate discoveries directly into clinical care.”

Since becoming director in 2019, Hammer has broadened the center’s impact by recruiting additional nurse scientists and fellows and helping launch major initiatives, including a partnership with Northeastern University, the Precision Health Symptom Science Program and the Evidence and Innovations Laboratory. Advancing health equity has also become a defining priority, with research addressing the disproportionate cancer burden and poorer health outcomes experienced by historically underserved and marginalized populations so that innovations in care can benefit all patients.

The Cantor family has remained deeply engaged throughout the center’s 25-year history. Richard Cantor, a longtime Dana-Farber trustee, served on the center’s advisory board until his death in 2021. Gail Hoffman, daughter of Richard and Phyllis Cantor, continues that service as an advisory board member alongside her stepmother, Dr. Pamela Cantor, who has made a significant commitment to sustaining the family’s legacy.

Dr. Anne Gross, who oversees the Cantor Center in her role as senior vice president of Patient Care Services, chief nursing officer and the Ning Zhao Chair of Nursing at Dana-Farber, said the Cantor family’s support continues to make a difference in advancing nursing science through research and the translation of new evidence to practice.

Through the Cantor Rounding Program and the Evidence and Innovation Committee—an interdisciplinary forum uniting nurse scientists and clinical nurses—everyday challenges in patient care are systematically translated into meaningful research initiatives. This collaborative approach has led to notable advances, including reducing hypersensitivity reactions through taxane titration protocols and introducing weighted blankets to alleviate anxiety during infusion treatments.

“Clinical questions that were once informal observations can now be rigorously studied and significant findings translated into practice,” Gross said. “The Cantor family’s enduring commitment continues to help us advance nursing science, improve care and train the next generation of researchers.”