OUR CULTURE

MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the world’s most respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention.

It was created by the Texas Legislature in 1941 as a component of The University of Texas System. The institution is one of the nation’s original three Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Act of 1971 and is one of 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers today.

For the past 25 years, MD Anderson Cancer Center has ranked as one of the nation’s top two cancer centers in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of the best hospitals for cancer care.

Do you want to see why MD Anderson Cancer Center has been top-ranked hospital in the nation for cancer care? Take an e-tour..

Since 1944, nearly 800,000 patients have turned to MD Anderson for cancer care in the form of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or combinations of these and other treatments. This multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer was pioneered at MD Anderson. Because they focus only on cancer, experts here are renowned for their ability to treat all types of cancer, including rare or uncommon diseases.

In 2008, more than 79,000 people with cancer will receive care at MD Anderson, and more than 27,000 of them will be new patients. About one-third of these patients come from outside Texas seeking the knowledge-based care that has made MD Anderson so widely respected. More than 11,500 patients participated in therapeutic clinical research exploring novel treatments in Fiscal Year 2007, making it the largest such program in the nation.

MD Anderson was re-accredited by the Joint Commission, a nonprofit hospital accreditation group, in 2008. In 2006, MD Anderson received Magnet Nursing Services Recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, an honor it first received in 2001.

At MD Anderson, important scientific knowledge gained in the laboratory is rapidly translated into clinical care. In 2006, the institution invested more than $410 million in research, an increase of about 95% in the past five years. MD Anderson ranks first in the number of grants awarded and total amount of grants given by the NCI. MD Anderson holds 10 NCI Specialized Programs of Research Excellence grants: bladder, breast, endometrial, head and neck, leukemia, lung, melanoma, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate. The research program is considered one of the most productive efforts in the world aimed solely at cancer.

In September 2005, MD Anderson unveiled plans for the Red and Charline McCombs Institute for the Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer. As the most aggressive expansion of research in MD Anderson’s history, the institute comprises six unique centers focused on genomics, proteomics, screening, diagnostic imaging, biotechnology and proton therapy. Located on the 116-acre University of Texas Research Park about 1.5 miles south of the main campus, the McCombs Institute will house about 25% of MD Anderson’s research activities.

Each year, more than 4,300 students take part in educational programs, which include physicians, scientists, nurses and many health professionals. MD Anderson offers bachelor's degrees in seven allied health disciplines.

In addition, more than 1,000 clinical residents and fellows come to MD Anderson each year to receive specialized training in the investigation and treatment of cancer. More than 500 graduate students are working on advanced degrees at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, which MD Anderson operates jointly with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. More than 1,300 research fellows are being trained in MD Anderson's laboratories and clinics.

Thousands more participate in continuing education and distance learning opportunities sponsored by MD Anderson, sharing knowledge around the globe. MD Anderson provides public education programs to teach healthy people about cancer symptoms and risk factors, giving them information that might one day aid them in making critical health care decisions.

Recognizing that prevention is the best way to eliminate the threat of cancer, MD Anderson has initiated a multifaceted effort. Expanded research efforts in epidemiology and behavioral sciences complement achievements made in clinical cancer prevention. Laboratory activities support developmental and practical applications of cancer prevention. A new research program focuses attention on disparities in prevention and care among ethnic minorities and medically underserved populations.

The Cancer Prevention Center provides comprehensive cancer screening services, including cancer risk assessment, screening exams based on age and gender, personalized risk reduction strategies, genetic testing, chemoprevention, tobacco cessation, and nutrition counseling.

MD Anderson employs more than 17,000 people, including nearly 1,400 faculty numbers. A volunteer corps of more than 1,600 people supplements its workforce; these volunteers provide more than 290,000 hours of service each year. Faculty, staff members and volunteers are dedicated to the core values of caring, integrity and discovery. Together they work toward fulfilling the MD Anderson mission of eliminating cancer as a major health threat.

Whether you are a current or prospective employee or student, please feel free to review The University of Texas at Houston Police Department’s Annual Security Report. The report provides campus offense statistics as of October 1, 2008.

With faculty and staff working in more than 25 buildings in Houston and Central Texas, MD Anderson is one of the largest cancer centers in the world. The physical plant includes an inpatient pavilion with 521 beds, five research buildings, three outpatient clinic buildings, a faculty office building, a proton radiation clinic building and a patient-family hotel. From 2005 to the present, the Mitchell Basic Sciences Research Building, the Mays Clinic, the Cancer Prevention Building, the Molecular Markers Research Building and the Proton Therapy Center opened. The Pickens Academic Tower, which opened in 2008, includes additional faculty and administrative space, while an ongoing expansion of Alkek Hospital will accommodate about 200 additional inpatient beds, adding nine floors to its current 12.