Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cancer Center Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee defers bill on integrating cancer center with JABSOM; university to develop plan
Summary
Senate bill to integrate the cancer center and the John A. Burns School of Medicine at Kakaako was deferred after university leadership said it is assembling a plan and timeline to evaluate integration to protect clinical trials, research funding and operational sustainability.
A bill that would more tightly integrate the University of Hawaii Cancer Center with the John A. Burns School of Medicine and the Kakaako campus was deferred by the Senate Committee on Higher Education on Feb. 6 so the university can develop a formal plan and timeline.
University leadership told the committee that, following earlier budget hearings, the president asked campus leaders to assemble internal and external partners to develop an implementation plan that evaluates administrative integration, academic impact and financial sustainability. The president asked the committee for time to complete that work and to return with recommendations. "We would ask that you give us time to do that," she said, and urged the committee to consider withdrawing the bill while the university completes its planning.
Opponents and patient advocates expressed concern that changing the cancer center’s administrative alignment could jeopardize its National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation and federal grant eligibility, which would in turn affect clinical trial availability for patients. Susan Hirano, who identified herself as a cancer patient, told the committee that clinical trials provided through the cancer center were critical to her care and that losing local trials could force patients to travel to the mainland.
University research leadership and others clarified that NCI's institutional guidelines (P30) do not require that a cancer center be administratively separate from a medical school and that many NCI-designated centers are integrated with medical schools. The university said the director maintains operational independence and budgetary control under P30 standards, and that integration could be structured to preserve NCI requirements.
The chair deferred the bill to allow the university to complete its planning work and report back with a recommendation and timeline that account for academic stakeholders and potential external consultants. The committee noted past concerns about the cancer center’s finances and the need for a durable plan; members asked for a clear path forward before considering legislation that would alter governance or funding arrangements.
Ending: Committee deferred the integration bill and asked the university to produce a plan and timeline addressing academic, clinical-trial and financial implications before the measure returns to committee.
