Graham Cancer Center Receives $1 Million Gift to Advance Cancer Care and Reduce Disparities

A $1 million gift from the Bacchieri Family to ChristianaCare will support the purchase of a state-of-the-art radiography system to analyze breast cancer specimens at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute and expand a fellowship program to reduce disparities in breast and lung cancer.

In Delaware breast and lung cancer are among the most frequently diagnosed cancers. The First State has the highest incidence nationally of triple negative breast cancer, the most aggressive form of breast cancer, among the Black population. And lung cancer is responsible for 33% of cancer deaths in Delaware.

“ChristianaCare extends our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the Bacchieri family for their philanthropic leadership,” said Dia Williams Adams, MPA, vice president of philanthropy at ChristianaCare.

“Making this lifesaving technology available for breast cancer patients and expanding this fellowship program for both breast cancer and lung cancer are critical components to building strong and healthy communities.”

“As long-time supporters of the Graham Cancer Center, we know our investment in the very latest technology to examine pathology specimens and expand the fellowship program in population health/science will advance cancer care, reduce disparities and improve outcomes in Delaware and surrounding communities,” said Stacey Bacchieri.

“We hope our support of the Graham Cancer Center, made in honor of Dr. Nicholas Petrelli, will inspire many others to join us in the fight against cancer and to support the underserved populations in our state.”

Nicholas Petrelli, M.D., is the Bank of America Endowed Medical Director of the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute.

New radiology system will expand access to care for breast cancer

The Kubtec XPERT 80 Specimen Radiography System is portable and provides high-resolution X-ray images of breast specimens of all sizes. It will enable pathologists at the Graham Cancer Center to process approximately 2,000 breast cases per year, an increase of 500 cases.

“ChristianaCare is deeply grateful to Stacey Bacchieri and her family for their generous gift and continued support of our cancer program,” Petrelli said.

“This new radiography system will be transformational and provide a number of benefits for our breast cancer patients, such as enabling providers to see the finest details in the widest range of specimens while reducing turnaround time.”

Fellowship will advance work to eliminate cancer disparities

The Caspar Wistar Bacchieri Disparities Fellowship in Cancer Population Health will support the next generation of population health cancer researchers and focus on cancer control and prevention activities that have the potential to significantly decrease cancer disparities, especially in breast cancer and lung cancer.

The researchers will have access to resources at both the Wistar Institute and the Graham Cancer Center.

“The Caspar Wistar Bacchieri Disparities Fellowship will offer exceptional autonomy and resources to qualified candidates who will join the next generation of scientific leaders,” Petrelli said.

Candidates for the fellowship must:

• Have earned a doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine, epidemiology, behavioral science, public health or a related field.
• Show evidence of outstanding academic achievement and the potential to work collaboratively across translational and clinical cancer research disciplines.
• Support ChristianaCare values of diversity, inclusion, scientific/clinical innovation and health equity.

Candidates of all races, nationalities, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status and economic background are strongly encouraged to apply. Interested candidates will find more information about how to apply at The Wistar Institute and the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute websites later this fall.

ChristianaCare is a not-for-profit organization and donations of any size help support our mission of service to those we care for. Donations can be made by visiting here.