Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center

In 2015, the Nebraska Medicine Cancer Network and University of Nebraska Medical Center established their flagship cancer center, the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. Thanks to generous donations and a public-private partnership, this built on the original Eppley Cancer Center that was founded in 1983 and became an NCI-Designated Cancer Center in 1999. Clinical care is provided to patients at multiple sites across the Omaha metro area and into southwest Iowa. 

The Buffett Cancer Center coordinates basic and clinical cancer research, patient care, and educational programs, and facilitates the application of knowledge about the etiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer. 

Research Programs at Buffett Cancer Center

Buffett Cancer Center has three research programs:  

1. Targets, Modulators and Delivery Program 
2. Cancer Biology Program 
3. Gastrointestinal Cancer Program 

Other notable research programs include the center’s work on lymphoma and bone marrow transplantation, CAR T-cell therapy, pancreatic cancer, and breast cancer. In the area of pancreatic cancer, a research screening clinic has been established for patients considered to be at risk for developing pancreatic cancer.  

The Buffett Cancer Center is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance that develops standards and sets guidelines for treatment. Multidisciplinary teams conduct research focused on discovering the mechanisms, which cause cancer, to develop and then translate these discoveries into new approaches for early detection and new therapies for cancer treatment and prevention. 

Select Scientific Initiatives at Buffett Cancer Center 

The Buffett Cancer Center signed a formal Academic Affiliation Agreement with the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, which will enhance access and increase accrual of children with cancer into clinical trials. The Nebraska Medicine Cancer Network has also developed an affiliate network of hospitals and physicians across the state that continues to expand. 

The Buffett Cancer Center reaches out to the medical community and the broader public through a variety of education and outreach programs for scientists, clinicians, future scientists, health care providers, and the public. For example, the Cancer Research Doctoral Program trains students in the latest techniques of cancer research, awarding a Ph.D. upon completion. Community outreach programs educate the public on the importance of cancer prevention and early detection. At several annual events, the Buffett Cancer Center provides free cancer screening and information to Nebraska’s underserved populations. 

 This profile was provided by the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.