Welcome from the Director

Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD | Director, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

Ferris UPMC Hillman Cancer Center (Hillman) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and the preeminent institution in western Pennsylvania for providing cancer care; conducting basic, translational, clinical, and population science research; and educating the next generation of cancer researchers and physicians. At Hillman, we are quickly advancing the latest research discoveries into pioneering therapies that can benefit the more than 113,000 patients seen each year throughout our integrated cancer care delivery network.

Hillman is ranked 14th in NCI funding, and holds two competitive Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grants focusing on head and neck and skin cancers, as well as a shared SPORE in ovarian cancer in collaboration with Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Our NCI Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG)-sponsored Research Programs and Shared Resources facilitate a collaborative and innovative research environment for our multi-disciplinary investigators, who have academic faculty appointments at the University of Pittsburgh.

A large portion of Hillman’s research activities take place at the state-of-the-art Hillman Cancer Center, which is adjacent to UPMC Shadyside Hospital in the City of Pittsburgh. Opened in 2002, with the generous support of the late Elsie and Henry Hillman, local foundations, corporations and community members, this facility allows laboratory and clinical scientists to work closely together, in the same building where cancer patients receive their treatment. This design promotes synergy that brings the best science from the lab to the patient, including those who enter the more than 450 clinical trials that are open at Hillman Cancer Center and among our 60 satellite network sites throughout western Pennsylvania and parts of Ohio.

This website contains information on our research progress, clinical trials, shared resources for enabling cancer research, fellowships and training programs, funding opportunities, upcoming seminars and professional educational opportunities, philanthropic support, and other topics relevant to our cancer research efforts. Extensive information pertaining to the different types of cancer, and to Hillman’s patient care services, oncology specialists, screening and treatment site locations, and support services can be found by visiting our patient care website

Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD
Director, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center