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 In order to be recognized as a Center for Excellence
by the Coalition, an organization must fulfill requirements set
forth in a rigorous set of designation criteria. A COE must have
a critical mass of cancer investigators, peer reviewed research
programs, state-of-the-art research resources, scientific focus
and accredited educational expertise. In addition to its commitment
and ability to educate future and existing cancer caregivers,
potential COEs must have the ability to translate research and
medical advances into community intervention and practice. Its
clinical care should be provided in a multidisciplinary model
with a high degree of excellence. A COE also is expected to be
a major statewide source of new strategies and initiatives in
cancer control.
The first Center for Excellence designation was
awarded to Grady Memorial Health System in Atlanta in 2002. Grady’s
long history of caring for the medically underserved, particularly
racial and ethnic minorities, and the collaboration between Grady
Health System, Emory School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute,
and Morehouse School of Medicine were key factors in the designation
award. The Georgia Cancer Coalition provided $28 million to renovate
two floors of Grady Hospital, establishing a state-of-the-art
clinical environment dedicated to providing highly attentive care
and customer service. For instance, an express elevator from the
Grady lobby provides patients direct access to the cancer center.
In addition, the Avon Foundation made a grant of $4.3 million
for the Avon Foundation Breast Health Center housed within the
Center for Excellence. Through its Distinguished Cancer Clinicians
and Scientists program, the Coalition was instrumental in recruiting
Dr. Otis Brawley from the National Cancer Institute to serve as
the Director of the Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady.
The Center was dedicated by Governor Sonny Perdue in March of
2003. The Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady recently
earned designation as a National Center for Health Disparities
Research by the National Institutes of Health.
The second COE designation was awarded to
the Georgia Cancer Research Center. An unprecedented collaboration
between the Medical College of Georgia and the University of Georgia,
this Center unites the research, educational and clinical strengths
of the two institutions in a strategic focus on cancer. Funding
from the state includes $10 million for the new cancer research
facility at the Medical College of Georgia and support for more
than two dozen cancer researchers and Distinguished Cancer Clinicians
and Scientists.
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