Georgetown University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an Israeli public research institution, announced a joint cancer research initiative to support international collaboration June 30.
The partnership — between Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, a clinical research center, and Hebrew University’s faculty of medicine — aims to advance international research collaboration and train students and fellows from both universities. Lombardi, which has a federal designation for its advanced research and care methods, will also expand its methods on an international scale.
Dr. Louis Weiner, director of Georgetown Lombardi, said the partnership will ensure cancer research links skills and expertise across borders.
“The work needed to prevent, treat and cure the dreaded diseases of cancer crosses international boundaries,” Weiner said in a press release. “Georgetown and Hebrew University’s shared values and commitment to excellence and high-impact research ensure that we will have success in our common quest to eradicate cancer.”
The universities will also establish a joint multimillion-dollar endowment to support the initiative, according to the press release.
Dr. Norman Beauchamp Jr., executive vice president of health sciences at Georgetown University Medical Center, said international cooperation is a necessary part of cancer research, pointing to the Global Cancer Collaborative, a seminar series the university launched in March to address global issues in cancer research.
“Cancer is a global health challenge, and it is why Georgetown launched the Global Cancer Collaborative this year to identify collaborating universities that share the goal of improving cancer outcomes as a top priority,” Beauchamp said in the press release. “Expanding our current cancer engagement globally — now present in African, Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian countries — allows us to collectively amplify our strengths and expedite the ability to bring hope, health and healing to more people facing this disease.”
Georgetown also has a longstanding cancer research partnership with Northern Ireland, which representatives said in March has led to increasing cancer survival rates.
The partnership with Hebrew University — ranked as one of Israel’s top universities based on a number of metrics including research and student outcomes — comes two months after Georgetown students endorsed a referendum calling on Georgetown to divest from Israeli institutions, including Hebrew University, in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Some students argued at the time that cutting ties with Israeli academic institutions would deprive Georgetown of educational and research opportunities. Interim university President Robert M. Groves immediately declined to implement the student referendum, citing academic freedom and the university’s responsibility to “deepen engagement and foster dialogue between scholars and societies.”
Dr. Eli Pikarsky, dean of the faculty of medicine at Hebrew University, said the two universities will complement each others’ research skills and resources.
“By combining the complementary strengths of our institutions, we are creating a powerful platform for scientific discovery, innovation and training that transcends borders,” Pikarsky said in the press release. “Together, we will accelerate progress toward more effective cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.”
Dr. Gary Kupfer, a Georgetown Lombardi professor of oncology and pediatrics who spearheaded the initiative, said the partnership will improve international cancer research for years.
“This international collaboration reflects a shared vision to establish collaboration in cancer research between renowned institutions with shared values focused on global outreach,” Kupfer said in the press release. “Its global community focus will thrive and is positioned to endure for years to come because of a critically important scientific collaboration focusing on the exchange of trainees for purposes of education and research.”
