Tampa General’s multidisciplinary, research-driven approach earns reaccreditation for TGH Cancer Institute

Tampa General Hospital’s Cancer Institute announced last week it has earned reaccreditation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.

The designation achieved by just one-third of hospitals in the nation is a reflection of the high-quality care and improved survival rates patients benefit from when they choose Tampa General.

“We continue to build a cancer institute defined by clinical excellence, innovation and compassion — and reaccreditation by the Commission on Cancer is an important milestone on that journey,” said Dr. Eduardo M. Sotomayor, vice president and executive director of the TGH Cancer Institute.

“This recognition reflects the strength of our academic partnership with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the caliber of our physicians and teams and our commitment to ensuring patients across Florida have access to world-class cancer care close to home.”

The designation is a nationally recognized quality marker for cancer programs that deliver coordinated care across the full continuum: from prevention and early detection through treatment, survivorship and supportive services. Programs seeking accreditation must demonstrate multidisciplinary infrastructure, performance monitoring and a sustained focus on patient outcomes.

“Commission on Cancer reaccreditation reinforces that our model is working — a multidisciplinary, research-driven approach treating the whole person and connecting patients to the right expertise at the right time,” said Dr. Abraham Schwarzberg, executive vice president, chief of Oncology, Tampa General, President of the Tampa General Provider Network and co-vice president of Clinical and Translational Research, TGH | USF Health Office of Clinical Research.

“We have deliberately built an institute that distinguishes Tampa General as nimble and academically grounded, where clinical excellence, clinical trials and translational research move together — and where every advancement is anchored in the experience and outcomes of our patients.”

“Our entire cancer institute team worked diligently and collaboratively to earn Commission on Cancer reaccreditation,” said Dr. Thomas Rutherford, who led the effort to achieve a second accreditation and is director of the Division of Gynecology Oncology in the Morsani College of Medicine and deputy director of the TGH Cancer Institute.

“Their teamwork and multidisciplinary approach to meeting the needs of the whole patient is the reason we have grown into a leading cancer institute.”

Since first earning Commission on Cancer accreditation in 2022, the institute has expanded its clinical and research footprint considerably. Recent milestones include:

— Developed a Cellular Therapy Program that provides advanced therapies for patients with aggressive blood cancers, including CAR T-cell therapy and Bone Marrow Transplants, supported by a highly coordinated clinical team and enabled by Tampa General’s innovation infrastructure.

— Launched a Phase I Cancer Research Unit, advancing early-phase clinical trials and expanding patient access to investigational therapies.

— Established a Center for Precision Radiosurgery, featuring AI-driven, real-time motion tracking and synchronization technology to support highly targeted treatment options.

— The Susan and John Sykes Center of Excellence in Colorectal Cancer at the TGH Cancer Institute is in progress to support the patient care, education and research mission of the Cancer Institute and the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

— Outreach to rural communities to improve access to early cancer education, screening and treatment and hosted a symposium with the Florida Department of Health on the unique challenges faced by rural communities when it comes to cancer care.

— The Sarcoma Center of Excellence was established to offer comprehensive diagnostic treatment services for more than 70 types of bone and soft tissue sarcomas and was accepted into the prestigious Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration. Less than 5% of the world’s cancer centers meet the stringent criteria for membership.

In partnership with the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, the institute received a five-year, $3.1 million National Institutes of Health grant to study chronic inflammation and its link to diet and colorectal cancer. It also recruited Dr. Robert C. Gallo, co-discoverer of HIV as the cause of AIDS and one of the most-cited biomedical scientists in history, to lead a new Microbial Oncology Program.

The TGH Cancer Institute — one of Florida’s few cancer centers backed by academic medicine through its partnership with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine — ranks among the nation’s top 10% of hospitals by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals 2025-2026.

It holds accreditations from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative, the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers from the American College of Surgeons, the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy for excellence in stem cell and cellular therapy and American Society for Radiation Oncology Program for Excellence.

The institute is a member of the Association of American Cancer Institutes, recognized for leadership in research, treatment, education and outreach, and was named among Newsweek’s America’s Best Cancer Hospitals.