The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of northwestern university at northwestern Memorial Hospital

Adam Petrich, MD
, was recruited to the 
Department of Medicine, Division of 
Hematology/Oncology following 
completion of his fellowship training at 
Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein 
College of Medicine in New York. His 
clinical and research focus is lymphoma 
with an emphasis on novel treatments
for patients with relapsed and refractory 
disease as well as special lymphoma 
populations including immuno-suppressed 
patients after organ transplantation and 
those with HIV/AIDS. 
-
Karl Bilimoria, MD, MS
, was recruited
to the Division of Gastrointestinal and 
Oncologic Surgery following completion 
of a fellowship at M.D. Anderson Cancer 
Center in Houston. Dr. Bilimoria’s clinical 
practice includes melanoma and other 
skin cancers, sarcoma and soft tissue 
cancers and breast cancer. His research 
is focused on healthcare quality 
measurement and improvement.
-
Timothy Pearman, PhD,
was recruited 
from Tulane University to the Department 
of Medical Social Sciences. In addition
to providing clinical psychology services, 
Dr. Pearman also serves as the director
of the Lurie Cancer Center’s Supportive 
Oncology Program, overseeing a full 
range of psychosocial care professionals.
- 
 Terrance Peabody, MD,
was recruited 
from the University of Chicago to assume 
the key leadership role of chairman of the 
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. 
Peabody is a nationally recognized leader 
whose clinical and research focus is in 
the area of musculoskeletal oncology.
The Lurie Cancer Center remains the only 
Illinois member of the National Comprehensive 
Cancer Network (NCCN), a consortium of 21 of 
the nation’s leading cancer centers committed 
to the development of cancer treatment 
guidelines and enhancing access to the most 
advanced treatment options for patients.
The nearly 275 members of the Lurie Cancer 
Center annually generate $175 million
in extramural cancer-relevant research 
funding. The largest portion of this funding 
comes from the NIH, including $40 million 
from the NCI. The center was especially 
proud to have been awarded an NCI Cancer 
Center/Minority Institution Partnership
Grant with Northeastern Illinois University— 
a federally designated Hispanic-serving 
institution—focused on facilitating 
community-engaged cancer disparities 
research and encouraging students from 
diverse groups to pursue careers in science, 
health and health disparities. 
Through the Clinical Research Office (CRO)
of the Lurie Cancer Center, a comprehensive 
clinical trials program is available to patients. 
Staffed by 59 full-time employees, the CRO 
conducts and coordinates Phase I through 
Phase III clinical trials sponsored by federally 
funded national cooperative groups and the 
pharmaceutical industry as well as investigator-
initiated institutional trials developed by faculty 
at Feinberg. Physicians affiliated with 
Northwestern Memorial and the Lurie Cancer 
Center regularly play leading roles in national 
cooperative group studies and in working to 
develop, test and accelerate access to new 
treatments. In fiscal year 2011, a total of 679 
patients at Northwestern Memorial were 
enrolled in 256 interventional therapeutic
and nontherapeutic clinical trials.

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Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s 
Tumor Registry is an integral part of 
our comprehensive cancer program 
that collects and maintains pertinent 
patient data required for reporting to the 
Illinois State Registry, National Cancer 
Data Base and the American College of 
Surgeons. This detailed cancer data is 
used for evaluation of cancer care, cancer 
incidence and outcome reporting studies. 
The cancer program is accredited by 
the American College of Surgeons 
Commission on Cancer. The registry has
a reference date of 1992 and follows 
53,785 patients yearly. 
2010 Registry Report