Integrative Oncology—Leonard P. Zakim Center

Abstract

More and more frequently, hospitals are expanding their services to incorporate complementary therapies into their medical settings. One of the first successful models for a hospital-based integrative therapies center was developed in Boston, Massachusetts at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a Harvard University academic medical center and world-renowned cancer patient care and research institute. Driven by patient advocacy and a desire to provide the most safe and efficacious care possible, the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies at Dana-Farber unites leading cancer experts with complementary therapy practitioners in order to offer patients a more holistic, comprehensive cancer care. The Zakim Center is an interdisciplinary program that uses a three-prong approach by offering complementary therapies including acupuncture, massage, nutrition, and others to enhance patients’ quality of life and to help them with symptom management, while at the same time, educating staff and patients about these therapies and researching them in order to advance their scientific evidence base. Development of this Center and the concept of a new discipline, “integrative oncology,’ required much communication, strategic planning, leadership commitment, and the diligence of many individuals. Through focused program and operational development, active institutional collaborations, and the concerted efforts of the whole Dana-Farber community, a premier comprehensive integrative therapies center that is affordable and accessible was established and continues to flourish and grow extensively today to meet the needs of patients, clinicians, and researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.