Tyler-based The University of Texas Health Northeast and Houston-based The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center are partnering to provide cancer detection, treatment and prevention techniques to residents in northeast Texas.
Under the terms of the partnership, UT Health Northeast's cancer program will clinically and operationally integrate with MD Anderson. The cancer program will also be rebranded as the UT Health Northeast MD Anderson Cancer Center once the partnership begins in 2017.
The organizations will jointly recruit all future program physicians and medical staff. Officials said a search is underway to hire a medical director to lead the program.
UT Health Northeast joins six other healthcare institutions across the U.S. and three facilities in Brazil, Spain and Turkey in its new partnership with MD Anderson.
"This partnership will help cancer care in our region to take a quantum leap forward, which is needed[,] as the lack of access to care is a key reason why citizens from our region are the unhealthiest in our state," said UT Health Northeast President Kirk Calhoun, MD. "Tackling this regional healthcare crisis with the top-ranked cancer center in the world with the common goals of reducing cancer rates, improving outcomes, and making a measurable impact on the health and wellbeing of our family, friends, and neighbors is not only vital, but both humbling and hugely inspiring."