Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute Opens Dedicated Phase I Clinical Trials Unit to Foster Cancer Clinical Research Innovation

Published: Mar 14, 2024

The state-of-the-art space brings together a multifaceted team and resources to treat cancer patients in early-phase clinical trials.

Tampa, FL (March 14, 2024) – As part of its vision to build an innovative and nimble clinical research enterprise, Tampa General Hospital (TGH) has opened the TGH Cancer Institute Phase I Cancer Research Unit onsite at the academic health system’s main campus on Davis Islands in downtown Tampa. Phase I research units conduct clinical trials that are typically the initial testing of a new treatment for cancer patients.

“We are driving innovation to continue expanding world-class cancer care and our Phase I Innovation Unit provides patients with access to leading-edge research studies combined with comprehensive, compassionate care,’’ said Dr. Eduardo M. Sotomayor, vice president and executive director of the TGH Cancer Institute.

Based on a platform of hospital-wide support and advanced research, the TGH Cancer Research Unit brings together a cadre of nationally recognized clinical investigators, physician-scientists, translational researchers, medical techniques and ancillary resources into a single, state-of-the-art facility designed for cancer-focused early-phase clinical trials.

“Clinical research is essential to providing top-tier, innovative care to cancer patients in a leading academic health system,” said Dr. Abraham Schwarzberg, executive vice president, chief of Oncology and president of the Tampa General Provider Network (TGPN). “Through the Phase 1 Cancer Research Unit, we can bring the most advanced and groundbreaking discoveries directly to our patients.”

Specifically, the unit offers several patient benefits, including:

Clinical trials overseen by a medical coordinator and a multidisciplinary care team focused solely on patients participating in clinical trials.
Care based on clinical innovation.
Onsite pharmacists providing drug therapies as per trials protocol.
Exam rooms and infusion bays.

“Regardless of the complexity of treatment within a clinical study, care of the patient is centralized into the Research Unit, to provide coordinated care that meets all of the patients’ needs,” said Dr. Richard Tuli, who is the associate director of Clinical Investigations and deputy director, TGH Cancer Institute, and professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. Tuli joined Tampa General from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, N.Y. “This unit further defines our model of cancer diagnosis and treatment that meets the needs of the whole patient. The space is designed for patient comfort and our patients say they feel special when they are here, which is so important to the healing process.’’

Ranked among the top 10 percent of U.S. hospitals for cancer care according to U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals 2023-24, the TGH Cancer Institute provides comprehensive care via groundbreaking therapies and advanced diagnostic imaging tools.

Physicians throughout the TGH Cancer Institute, Tampa General and USF Health offer a highly coordinated, interdisciplinary approach to quality patient care that accommodates the needs of the whole patient and provides a wide range of multidisciplinary specialties such as hematologic malignancies, bone marrow transplant, cell therapy, neuro-oncology, thoracic oncology, breast, colorectal and gynecologic oncology. Advanced subspecialties include liver and hepatobiliary oncology, otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat) and genitourinary (reproductive system and genitourinary tract).

Recent achievements for the TGH Cancer Institute include:

For more information about the TGH Cancer Institute, visitwww.tgh.org/cancer.