Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) is a comprehensive cancer treatment and research center in Boston, Massachusetts. Dana-Farber is the founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Harvard's Comprehensive Cancer Center designated by the National Cancer Institute, and one of the 15 clinical affiliates and research institutes of Harvard Medical School.
As of 2023, Dana-Farber is ranked the #4 cancer hospital in the world.[1] Two Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine are among its past and present faculty.
In 2024, an investigation revealed evidence of research misconduct in dozens of studies authored by Dana-Farber researchers, including the President and CEO Laurie Glimcher, the Executive Vice President and COO, and the Research Integrity Officer.[2][3][4] In response to these findings, Dana-Farber retracted 6 papers and corrected 31 others.[5]
Dana–Farber employs more than 4,855 full-time and part-time workers, 529 faculty, and has annual gross revenues of about $1,733,386,000.[6] All faculty and postdoctoral research fellows at Dana–Farber hold the equivalent academic positions concurrently at Harvard University. There are more than 523,425 adult and pediatric patient visits (combined exam and office visits) a year, and it is involved in more than 1,000 clinical trials. It is internationally known for its research and clinical excellence. Expertscape ranks its programs in aplastic anemia[7] and multiple myeloma[8] as best in the world. It has been also ranked overall the fifth best cancer hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.[9] Dana–Farber is a member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium.
In addition to being a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, Dana–Farber is also a federally designated Center for AIDS Research, and a founding member of the Dana–Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC),[10] a federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Providing advanced training in cancer treatment and research for an international faculty, Dana–Farber conducts community-based programs in cancer prevention, detection, and control in New England, and maintains joint programs with other Boston institutions, including St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dana–Farber is supported by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and private foundations and individuals contributions. The Jimmy Fund is the principal charity of the Institute named for one of its child patients. The Boston Red Sox adopted the Jimmy Fund as its official charity in 1953 and continues to prominently sponsor the charity.[citation needed]
Laurie Glimcher is President/CEO of Dana–Farber Cancer Institute/Jimmy Fund.[11] In 2015, Forbes listed the charity as the 37th biggest in the U.S.[12]
In August 2018, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute launched a Chinese language section to the hospital website. The new pages are intended to reach Chinese-speaking people both in the United States and abroad who are seeking cancer-related information. The hospital also has a Spanish language site.[13]
In February 2020, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute inked an investing collaboration deal with MPM Capital. The deal combines MPM's venture capital investment fundraising with Dana–Farber's fundraising for cancer research.[14]
In September 2023, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute announced a new partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and plans to build a new standalone hospital focused on treating adult cancer patients. This includes a departure from their current home and longtime affiliation with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which had been recognized among U.S. News & World Report's top cancer care facilities for 23 consecutive years.[15]
Dana–Farber has a long history of breakthrough discoveries in cancer care and research.
In 2024, multiple Dana-Farber employees, including the CEO, received allegations of data manipulation, as a number of their publications contained image discrepancies. Notable Dana-Farber employees tied to the misconduct allegations include the CEO Laurie Glimcher, the executive vice president and COO William C. Hahn, and the Research Integrity Officer Barrett Rollins.[17] More than 51 studies, many of them decades old, were affected. Dana-Farber’s Office of Research Integrity immediately began a review of the papers and when needed, submitted corrections and retractions to the medical journals. Not all of the studies reported on required a correction or retraction. The Institute noted that, “The presence of image discrepancies in a paper is not evidence of an author’s intent to deceive. That conclusion can only be drawn after a careful, fact-based examination which is an integral part of our response. Our experience is that errors are often unintentional and do not rise to the level of misconduct.” The corrections and retractions were part of a larger trend and use of AI in identifying image discrepancies and other issues from researchers, universities and research institutions around the world.[18][19]
Dana–Farber/St. Elizabeth's Cancer Center (DF/SEMC) and Dana–Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) are collaborations between Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, and Brigham and Women's Hospital to care for adults with cancer. Dana–Farber provides outpatient services, while inpatient care is provided by St. Elizabeth's Medical Center and Brigham and Women's Hospital. DF/SEMC and DF/BWCC care for adult patients in more than a dozen specialized treatment centers.[citation needed]
Dana–Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center is a more than 70-year-old partnership between Boston Children's Hospital and Dana–Farber Cancer Institute that delivers comprehensive care to children with and survivors of all types of childhood cancers.
They also work with several other local New England organizations that share a similar vision, such as Take a Swing at Cancer,[20] Angel's Hope, Childhood Cancer Lifeline of New Hampshire and Andrew's Helpful Hands.
The Dana–Farber/Harvard Cancer Center is the largest National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the nation. Founded in 1997, DF/HCC is an inter-institutional research enterprise that unites all of the cancer research efforts of the Harvard affiliated community. The primary goal of the Cancer Center is to encourage and promote collaborative interactions and translational research that will lead to new approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.[citation needed]
DF/HCC is one of just 39 NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Its members hail from the following institutions: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, and St. Elizabeth's Medical Center.[21]
