Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Advancing the Future of Cancer Care

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and its affiliated physician group, Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at BIDMC (HMFP), announced in September 2023 plans to collaborate with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Dana-Farber) to advance the future of cancer care and build the region’s only free-standing inpatient hospital for adult cancer patients.

About the Future Cancer Hospital

The Dana-Farber Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Collaboration includes plans to build a freestanding, dedicated adult inpatient cancer hospital. Following regulatory approvals by several state and city agencies, we are taking steps to begin construction on the new cancer hospital, which will offer an enhanced patient experience focused solely on the needs of oncology patients. The state-of-the-art hospital will operate under the license of Dana-Farber and provide adult medical oncology care. Together, Dana-Farber, BIDMC and HMFP will establish a coordinated clinical and organizational structure for oncology care in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston.

In addition to expanding bed capacity to ensure timely access to care, the proposed new hospital will be:

• Designed specifically for the needs of patients with cancer and their loved ones;
• Flexible to adapt to new and changing technology and innovations in care; and
• Supported by the Dana-Farber, BIDMC and HMFP teams.

About Our Collaboration

The Dana-Farber Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Collaboration will include all aspects of adult cancer care, building on each organization's legacy of excellence with compassion, innovative research, and world-class patient care.

Every day, our clinicians and researchers are working to discover new ways to prevent, treat and cure cancer. We will harness the power of these ground-breaking innovations in a state-of-the-art clinical building that is designed specifically to meet the complex needs of patients with cancer and their loved ones. In addition, the proximity of the new hospital in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, adjacent to existing BIDMC and Dana-Farber facilities, will support a cohesive, patient-centered experience and emphasis on leading-edge research.

Together, we are creating a model that is unique in this region – a model that will deliver life-changing cancer care that harnesses the power of scientific discovery and innovation.

Timeline and What To Expect

Bringing our shared vision to life will take time, hard work and dedication. It will be several years before these changes and a new hospital are in place. BIDMC patients and their families, our employees and our community can be confident they will continue to receive the excellent care we provide today uninterrupted.

Construction of the new cancer hospital is expected to begin next year, and the facility is projected to open in 2031. Located on the current site of Joslin Diabetes Center along Brookline Avenue in the Longwood Medical Area, the new cancer hospital will physically connect Dana-Farber with BIDMC, creating an interlocking campus and fostering a seamless patient experience. Joslin, which is part of Beth Israel Lahey Health and is world-renowned for its deep expertise in diabetes care, treatment and research, is in the process of relocating to BIDMC’s East Campus and the Center for Life Sciences.