Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber
Trace the remarkable growth and development of medical oncology at Dana-Farber – from its early roots to today’s mission-driven commitment to excellence in research, care, collaboration, and training.
Department of Medical Oncology
The Department of Medical Oncology provides compassionate clinical care for patients with cancer; conducts transformative basic, translational, and clinical research; and provides leading education, training, and mentorship in cancer medicine.
Clinical, Research, and Educational Activities
Patient Care
Integration of clinical care and research, with a personalized and multidisciplinary approach to oncology medicine
Research
Basic research focused on blood and solid tumors, molecular and cellular oncology, and population sciences
Education
The department coordinates hematology and oncology fellowships at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana-Farber, and Massachusetts General Hospital, and offers clerkships in hematology/oncology at Harvard Medical School.
Medical Oncology By the Numbers
Our People
- 300+ Harvard Medical School (HMS) Faculty
- 360+ Clinical and Research Fellows
- $280M+ Research dollars awarded to our investigators in 2022
Our Patient Care
- 14 Clinical divisions led by Internationally recognized leaders in their fields
- 290,000+ outpatient visits in 2022
- 190+ average inpatient daily census
Our Research
- 3 Research divisions creating academic communities of investigators with similar interests
- 80+ highly collaborative research labs
- 637 Clinical trials in Fiscal Year 2022
Research and Care Within — and Across — Disease Boundaries
The Department of Medical Oncology integrates outstanding basic cancer research and clinical oncology within the same department. Clinician-scientists within Medical Oncology provide substantial expertise within their specific programs, as well as interdisciplinary areas such as cancer genetics and prevention, early drug development, and population sciences.
Clinicians in the department have deep understanding of the genetics and biology of cancer and engage in clinical research with deep correlative scientific studies. Nearly all basic scientists in the department are clinically trained and are motivated to link the implications of laboratory findings to potential clinical impact, and to take clinical observations as the inspiration for laboratory studies. Nearly all laboratory-based principal investigators also see patients in a clinical division, and many attend on inpatient services. And most clinical investigators have ties to one or more research or disease programs within Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC).
All of our faculty collaborate with external institutions and serve on national and international oncology committees and steering groups. Faculty actively contribute service and leadership, providing an open two-way conduit for expertise that benefits the Institute and the broader oncology and health care communities. Faculty perform cutting-edge basic and clinical research, and provide education and training to the next generation of physicians and scientists who are focused on the biology and treatment of cancer.
Support Our Cancer Research
To learn more about the many ways you can support Dana-Farber's research initiatives with a philanthropic gift, please email Rebecca Shortle or call 617-632-4215.
