UT MD Anderson Cancer Center signs collaborative agreement with Turkish University
MD Anderson News Release June 25, 2012
MD Anderson News Release 06/25/12
The University of Texas of MD Anderson Cancer Center and Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey signed a Sister Institution Agreement today, reinforcing the two institutions' dedication to collaborative research and education in the effort to eradicate cancer.
Signing on behalf of MD Anderson was Oliver Bogler, Ph.D., senior vice president of Academic Affairs and vice president of Global Academic Programs; and professors Murat Tuncer, M.D., president of Hacettepe University and Emin Kansu, M.D., director of Hacettepe Cancer Institute.
"MD Anderson is delighted to welcome Hacettepe University Cancer Institute to our Sister Institution Network," said Bogler. "Our physicians and investigators are excited to realize the strategic opportunities to strengthen our shared battle against cancer."
Through its Global Academic Programs, MD Anderson has built a coalition of Sister Institutions, known as the Sister Institution Network, to provide funding and institutional support for international research and education collaboration. These Sister Institutions not only engage with MD Anderson, but are better able to build relationships with others among the network, thereby magnifying the impact their research can have on the goal of lessening the burden of cancer worldwide.
Hacettepe and MD Anderson have already been engaged in collaborative research in areas of cancer therapeutics and therapeutic delivery. Future plans include research in molecular targeted therapies, gene marker identification and targeted therapy development, among others. Collaborative plans also include nursing education, faculty exchange, joint conferences, a possible joint M.D./Ph.D. program and continued postdoctoral training. Hacettepe's designation as a Sister Institution will allow the research collaborations between the institutions to accelerate and strengthen the expertise of the overall network.
Hacettepe University's 3,500 staff and faculty provide more than 100 undergraduate and 263 post-graduate programs to serve the educational needs of more than 30,000 students. The Faculty of Medicine and the Hacettepe University Hospitals provide for the medical educational needs of the University, while the Cancer Institute, which was founded in 1982, provides post-graduate students with basic, clinical and epidemiological knowledge of cancer and conducts clinical and basic research in the field of oncology.
The Institute offers post-graduate degrees in general oncology, cancer epidemiology, radiation physics and other oncology disciplines. Through its collaboration with Hacettepe University's Faculty of Medicine and Hacettepe University Hospital, the Institute contributes to fellowship programs in medical, pediatric and radiation oncology. Well known for research and education, the Institute supports the patient services of Hacettepe University Hospital, the major referral center for cancer patients in Turkey, with about 5,000 new cancer cases diagnosed yearly. 06/25/12