BIDMC, Signature Healthcare to Bring Comprehensive Cancer Care to Southeastern Massachusetts

Rolf Freter, MD, PhD, to serve as Chief of Medical Oncology and Hematology

BROCKTON, MASS. — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Signature Healthcare today announced a new collaboration that will bring comprehensive cancer care to Signature Healthcare’s Brockton Hospital location. Building on the organizations’ established clinical affiliation, patients in Southeastern Massachusetts will have access to a full range of cancer services close to home, supported by BIDMC’s pioneering cancer treatment strategies and research.

Rolf Freter, MD, PhD, will join Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital as Chief of Medical Oncology and Hematology in March. Dr. Freter previously worked for 14 years at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center at South Shore Hospital, most recently as Director of Clinical Research and before that as Medical Director of Medical Oncology. He earned his medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.

“Patients and their families want and deserve extraordinary care right in their own communities,” said Marc Garnick, MD, Director of Community Cancer Services at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Medical Director of the Signature Healthcare Cancer Center affiliated with BIDMC. “While chemotherapy, radiation oncology and surgery are the foundation of cancer care, we are deeply proud that through our new partnership in Brockton, patients will now also benefit from BIDMC’s expertise in minimally invasive surgery, as well as access to leading-edge clinical trials, pathology and molecular diagnostics and point-of-care consultation through state-of-the-art video conferencing and more.” Dr. Garnick is also a Gorman Brothers Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The new collaboration will bring medical oncology – including chemotherapy – to Brockton, building on Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital’s existing cancer services, which include early detection, radiation oncology, genetic counseling, social work and palliative care.

“This new collaboration is part of an already strong clinical affiliation between Signature Healthcare and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center through which we deliver high-quality, coordinated care in Southeastern Massachusetts,” said Kim Hollon, President and CEO of Signature Healthcare. “Our patients can get the most advanced cancer care without having to travel into Boston.”

“Our goal is to support people with cancer so they can remain in the community for treatment, and if they need complex care, they will have streamlined access to Beth Israel Deaconess cancer specialists in Boston,” said Dr. Freter.

The BIDMC Cancer Center is one of the pre-eminent clinical and research cancer programs in the country, offering the best in early diagnosis, treatments and personalized care plans. Multidisciplinary teams offer 21 specialty care programs, focusing on pancreatic cancer, bone-marrow transplantation, breast cancer, prostate cancer and immunotherapy, among others. The Cancer Center, with more than 180 faculty and more than $70 million in annual research support, offers patients access to clinical trials and promising new therapies through its membership in the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, the National Cancer Institute and the Pancreatic Cancer Research Team.