A Perfect 10

David M. Livingston, MD, deputy director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center

In 2016, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute applied to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for renewal of our Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG), the core grant that supports Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) and grants us our standing as an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In August, Dana-Farber was thrilled to learn that our “impact score,” which is the final grade by which the totality of DF/HCC was evaluated, is a 10 – a perfect score. Given the size and complexity of DF/HCC – the largest comprehensive cancer center in the world, comprising more than 1,000 researchers from seven member institutions – receiving a perfect score is an incredible accomplishment.

This honor is a direct result of the transformative research performed by our investigators, the numerous examples of improved cancer care that have come from their discoveries, and the spirit of collaboration that has caused our unified efforts to have far more impact on cancer outcomes than any one of the DF/HCC institutions could have achieved alone.

The NCI reviewers recognized both the excellence of our Center activities and the synergies resulting from this collaboration and cooperation. That they voted a perfect 10 in favor of our future funding is a resounding affirmation of the virtues and power of this consortium.