Constructive collaboration
Groundbreaking as this approach was, it was just a warm-up for the changes to come in the area of research. Under Nathan's initiative and the urging of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Institute spearheaded the creation of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC). This is a consortium of cancer researchers at Dana-Farber, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, the Harvard School of Public Health, and Brigham and Women's, Children's, and Massachusetts General hospitals. With NIH designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center (and the funding that goes with it), DF/HCC has multiplied the opportunities for collaborative research among cancer scientists throughout the Harvard system.
"Cancer is a huge and multi-faceted problem. No individual or institution can solve it alone. DFCI has a single mission — to get rid of cancer — and, on the way, to get rid of AIDS. We can't do that on our own. We need to influence our colleagues at Harvard, many of whom make brilliant contributions, to collaborate with us and help us meet our goal. If we do that, we will defeat cancer."
— David G. Nathan, M.D.
"Cancer is a huge and multi-faceted problem," Nathan says. "No individual or institution can solve it alone. DFCI has a single mission — to get rid of cancer — and, on the way, to get rid of AIDS. We can't do that on our own. We need to influence our colleagues at Harvard, many of whom make brilliant contributions, to collaborate with us and help us meet our goal. If we do that, we will defeat cancer."
But the collaborations begun under Nathan's presidency don't end there. It was during his tenure, and with his encouragement, that the Patient and Family Advisory Council was formed in 1998. The council gives adult cancer patients and family members at Dana-Farber and Brigham and Women's a voice in decisions affecting their care.
The broadening of the Institute's mission during Nathan's tenure is also evident in the Eleanor and Maxwell Blum Patient and Family Resource Center, which opened in 1996 and offers a wealth of information on cancer and related diseases. Last year saw the opening of the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies, which gives patients access to a variety of complementary care services and information.
