Partnerships and Collaborations
The CDI’s robust research program directly informs and benefits from enhanced partnerships with some of the country’s most respected health care and research institutions, including Hackensack Meridian Health's own extensive network and resources.
John Theurer Cancer Center
Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center, located at Hackensack University Medical Center, is renowned as one of NJ's leading cancer centers according to U.S. News & World Report. It stands as the state's largest and most comprehensive facility, committed to the entire spectrum of cancer care including diagnosis, treatment, research, screening, prevention, and survivorship for all cancer types. With 16 specialized divisions, a dedicated team of medical, research, nursing, and support staff work closely together, providing advanced and focused care. The John Theurer Cancer Center remains the top choice for cancer care in the NJ/NY metropolitan area, surpassing all other facilities. It also proudly forms part of Georgetown University's NCI-designated Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Georgetown Lombardi was first designated a "comprehensive cancer center" in 1974 by the National Cancer Institute, and most recently renewed in 2019. Of the 1,500 cancer programs in the U.S., only 51 are NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers and Georgetown Lombardi is the only such center in the Washington, D.C., area.
In addition, the NCI approved Georgetown Lombardi as a “consortium center,” reflecting a fully integrated cancer research enterprise with scientists and clinicians at John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, part of Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey. CDI research and collaboration is an integral part of the work.
New York Genome Center
HMH and the CDI joined the NYGC as institutional associate members. This partnership is intended to further our understanding of host genetics for oncology, neuropsychiatric behavioral disorders, and emerging infectious disease issues like COVID-19. In oncology, it seeks to use advanced genetic analyses to better understand risk factors for emergence of certain aggressive cancers, such as pediatric brain tumors; and why certain cancers fail to respond to immunotherapy. For behavioral disorders, it is focused on exploring the genetics underlying certain behavioral disorders and identifying genetic markers that help physicians predict and manage these disorders more effectively. Finally, in the period of COVID-19, CDI worked closely with the NYGC to better understand host and virus genomics that contribute to severe disease and poor clinical outcomes.
Hackensack Meridian Health School of Medicine
The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine admitted its first students in 2018, and graduated its first doctors in 2021. The institution employs a unique curriculum that features basic science content presented in its clinical context with clear medical relevance. Students learn within an integrated curriculum in a team-oriented, collaborative environment focusing on the “social determinants of health.”
The CDI strongly believes that medical education and scientific research go hand-in-hand. Located on the same campus, many of the CDI faculty teach courses at the medical school, and the medical school faculty and students take part in research at the CDI. This serves as an excellent platform for the sharing of ideas among different disciplines, an approach that is at the heart of CDI.
Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute
The CDI is part of the Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute, a network of research which extended across New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive health network that includes 18 regional hospitals. The HMHRI leads and organizes a connected ecosystem bringing together clinicians, scientists, and educators to respond to the health problems of our time, in real-time. HMHRI is dedicated to accelerating discovery, innovation, and translation of scientific breakthroughs that address unmet clinical needs. This facilitates the sharing of resources, such as the biorepository, and promotes collaborations among the researchers at CDI with the many physicians within the network. It also enables clinicians to provide access to cutting-edge research to their patients.
Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) is a 900 bed, full-service hospital that was established in 1886 and has expanded tremendously in recent years. It has been named one of the nation’s top 50 hospitals, the top hospital in New Jersey, and one of the top 3 hospitals in the New York Metropolitan area. Research conducted at HUMC is supported by the David and Alice Jurist Institute for Research, which opened in 2000 to provide state of the art research facilities and services for both clinical and basic research, including an Institutional Review Board, Research Biosafety committee, Institutional Data Safety Monitoring Board, Office of Research Integrity, Sponsored Programs Office, Research Finance and Contracts Office, Research Compliance Office, Clinical trials Advisor, Research Biostatistician, and Office of Commercialization and Technology Ventures.