Welcome to the University of Florida Health Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center. By leveraging all the resources at the University of Florida, the UF Health Cancer Institute blends comprehensive patient care and innovative research in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment. Our research directly impacts patient outcomes, allowing patients access to the very latest cancer-fighting technologies and drugs.
In June 2023, the UF Health Cancer Institute reached a major milestone when it became the 72nd NCI-designated cancer center in the country and the only one based at a public university in Florida. NCI designation signifies that the center has met rigorous standards for multidisciplinary research that is leading to the development of new and better approaches to preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer.
Our efforts to serve Florida with innovative research and leading cancer care have never been more critical. Cancer is the second leading cause of death for Floridians and our state has the second highest cancer burden in the nation. The 26-county area we serve in North Central Florida has a greater share of older adults — those at the highest risk of developing cancer — than the rest of Florida.
Our clinical enterprise uses a comprehensive care model, with multidisciplinary cancer programs offering advanced treatment options such as minimally invasive and robotic surgery, proton and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (as well as a 1.5-Tesla MRI-guided linear accelerator), hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy in conjunction with precision medicine. Patients have access to clinical trials and therapies available only at NCI-designated cancer centers.
Our membership consists of more than 350 researchers, clinicians and educators throughout the University of Florida, ranked the No. 1 public institution on the 2024 Wall Street Journal’s Best U.S. Colleges list, and UF Health, the Southeast’s most comprehensive academic health center. UF Health Shands Hospital is ranked among the country’s top 50 hospitals for cancer treatment, according to the 2025-26 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” report. In addition, UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital is rated the best in Florida and among the nation’s best hospitals for pediatric cancer care, with the specialty ranked #36 nationally by U.S. News & World Report.
Members have academic appointments in all 16 UF colleges and more than a dozen are based at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology. This multidisciplinary membership allows for productive collaborations and encourages the translation of basic laboratory findings to novel curative and preventive therapies.
With NCI designation, the UF Health Cancer Institute has entered a new era of accelerating growth and service. We have greater access to a specific portfolio of national funding opportunities, collaborations and programs to push our cancer research to greater heights.
We plan to make our findings and resources available to colleagues at cancer centers across the state as a model of collaboration to accelerate discovery on behalf of all Floridians. We also plan to increase the engagement of community members as partners in our research, ensuring our research is tackling the questions that matter most.
At this intersection of research, education and treatment, the UF Health Cancer Institute strives to find tomorrow’s answers for today’s patients.
Thomas J. George, M.D., FACP, FASCO
Interim Director, UF Health Cancer Institute
