Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center
Founded in 1983, the Fred & Pamela Buffet Cancer Center was established to bring together advanced cancer care, cutting-edge research, and education for Nebraska, the region, and beyond. Our mission is to integrate basic, translational, and clinical cancer research with educational programs, aiming to advance the understanding of the causes and risk factors of cancers, improve diagnosis, enhance treatment, and work toward prevention.
We became an NCI-designated cancer center in 1999, distinguishing us as the only cancer center in the state and one of 72 nationwide. This designation reflects our adherence to rigorous standards for transdisciplinary state-of-the-art research aimed at developing new and improved approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Also, we are one of 14 founding members of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) alliance of leading cancer centers.
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
The Fred & Pamela Buffett Center collaborates with member scientists and clinicians through three research programs.
Cancer Biology Program – The mission is to discover and validate mechanisms of cancer initiation and progression.
Gastrointestinal Cancer Program – Aims at understanding how gastrointestinal cancers develop and affect the body. It aims to find and test new ways to diagnose and predict these cancers and to create better treatments for patients.
Targets Modulators & Delivery Program – Aims at finding new ways to target cancer cells, discovering small molecules that can affect these targets, and developing methods to deliver these treatments effectively.
These programs apply the latest findings to understand cancer causes, improve diagnostic procedures, enhance prevention, and advance treatment. Notable research studies at the Buffett Cancer Center include work on gastrointestinal, prostate, breast, and brain cancers, and hematologic malignancies.
CLINICAL TRIALS & PATIENT CARE
The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center shares pride in being a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a leading alliance that sets high standards and guidelines for cancer treatment.
We provide exceptional patient care at The CL Werner Hospital at the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha, as well as the Village Point Cancer Center in west Omaha and at the Cancer Center at Bellevue in Bellevue, NE.
Our commitment goes beyond scientific research as we collaborate with three NCI Community Cancer Center Program (NCCCP) centers to advance clinical and translational research. This partnership ensures that patients in rural areas can access our clinical trails. We have expanded our statewiede clinical trials network to include affiliate sites in Nebraska hospitals and South Dakota.
Recently, we have enhanced our capabilities by formalizing an Academic Affiliation Agreement with the UNMC Department of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital. This collaboration is designed to increase access and enrollment of children with cancer in our clinical trials. We have built a strong network of affiliated hospitals and physicians across the state to support comprehensive cancer care and research.
TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Our dedication to nurturing future scientific leaders and making STEM education and graduate programs widely accessible is a core priority. We ensure that this priority is met by engaging with the medical community and the public through a variety of educational and outreach initiatives.
The Cancer Research Graduate Program provides students with advanced training in cancer research techniques and awards a Ph.D. upon completion. We also run community outreach programs that highlight the importance of cancer prevention and early detection. Additionally, at several annual events, we offer free cancer screenings to underserved populations in Nebraska, reinforcing our commitment to improving public health and education.
Highlights of some of the generous gifts that supported our fight against cancer:
In 2013, thanks to a generous gift from Pamela Buffett, we broke ground on a new cancer center complex on the UNMC main campus, which officially opened in 2017. This state-of-the-art facility includes a 10-story cancer research tower, a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic with surgical, medical, and radiation oncology services, an infusion center, a radiation treatment facility, and an inpatient cancer hospital.
We are grateful to Cattlemen’s Ball, Nebraska, for their remarkable generosity and steadfast support. By directing 90% of their funds to the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, they significantly contribute to advancing our cancer research and community care programs.
For more information, please visit the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.
Joann B. Sweasy, Ph.D.
Director
In 1983, the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, was founded and, in 1999, became an NCI-designated cancer center. The mission of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center is to coordinate basic and clinical cancer research, patient care, and educational programs, and to facilitate the application of new knowledge about the etiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer.
Research at the Cancer Center is conducted in four Research Programs: Cancer Genes and Molecular Regulation, Molecular Biochemical Etiology, Lymphoma Research, and the developing program for Cancer Prevention and Control. Notable programs in research include the Center’s work on lymphoma and bone marrow transplantation, pancreatic cancer, and breast cancer.
Clinical care is provided to patients at the Peggy D. Cowdery Patient Care Center and Clinic in the Lied Transplant Center on the UNMC campus and at the Village Point Cancer Center in west Omaha. Through affiliations with three NCI Community Cancer Center Program (NCCCP) centers, the Cancer Center offers new opportunities for clinical/translational research and provides patients in rural communities access to the Center’s clinical trials. In a move to expand cancer care and cutting-edge research to all Nebraskans, the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center has expanded its statewide clinical trials network to include affiliate sites at Nebraska hospitals and South Dakota.
The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance that develops standards and sets guidelines for treatment. Multidisciplinary teams conduct research focused on discovering the mechanisms, which cause cancer to develop and then translate these discoveries into new approaches for early detection and new therapies for cancer treatment and prevention.
In recent years, the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center signed a formal Academic Affiliation Agreement with the UNMC Department of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital, which will provide enhanced access and increased accrual of children with cancer into clinical trials in the Cancer Center. The Fred & Pamela Buffet Cancer Center has also developed an affiliate network of hospitals and physicians across the state.
The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center reaches out to the medical community and the broader public through a variety of education and outreach programs for scientists, clinicians, health care workers, future scientists and healthcare providers, and the general public. For example, the Cancer Research Graduate Program trains students in the latest techniques of cancer research, awarding a Ph.D. upon completion. Community outreach programs are educating the public on the importance of cancer prevention and early detection. At several annual events, the Cancer Center provides free cancer screening to Nebraska’s underserved populations.
In 2013, as a result of a generous gift from Pamela Buffett, ground was broken on a new cancer center complex on the UNMC main campus, and opened in 2017. The Cancer Center complex features a 10-story cancer research tower, a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic that includes surgical, medical, and radiation oncology, an infusion center, a radiation treatment facility, and an inpatient cancer hospital. Please visit buffettcancercenter.com for more information.