Omaha-based University of Nebraska Medical Center has signed an agreement for its cancer center to become sister hospitals with the Hubei Cancer Hospital in the Hubei Province in China.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two medical institutions will collaborate on research, facilitate faculty, student and resident exchanges and engage in possible cancer patient referrals to Omaha-based Fred & Pamela Buffet Cancer Center, which is currently being built.
The cancer center is the result of a partnership between UNMC and Nebraska Medicine in Omaha. The agreement with Hubei Cancer Center represents the second sister agreement for the cancer center. It became sister hospitals with Tianjin (China) Cancer Hospital in 2015.
"This is an important step in the international expansion of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center," said Kai Fu, MD, PhD, director of the office of international relations at UNMC. "Hubei Cancer Hospital is one of the top cancer centers in China."
Ken Cowan, MD, PhD, director of the Buffett Cancer Center, also voiced excitement about the agreement. "This is a landmark event for UNMC/Nebraska Medicine," he said. "Institutions of this size could partner with just about any cancer center in the U.S. For them to pick the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center speaks volumes for the quality of our programs."