Nicholas Petrelli, M.D., Honored for 25 Years of Leadership in Cancer Care in Delaware

Nicholas Petrelli, M.D., director of the Cawley Center for Translational Cancer Research at ChristianaCare and former medical director of the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute, was honored for his lasting impact on cancer care in Delaware.

Petrelli received special recognition at the 2026 Delaware Cancer Consortium retreat in April as the organization celebrated its 25th anniversary. The honor celebrates his decades of leadership and dedication to reducing cancer rates and improving the lives of Delaware residents.

“This progress did not happen by chance,” Deborah Brown, chair of the Delaware Cancer Consortium, wrote in a letter recognizing Petrelli. “It is the result of the tireless efforts of dedicated individuals like you, who have stood on the front lines of this work and refused to accept the status quo.”

A Quarter Century of Progress

The Delaware Cancer Consortium was established in 2001 to advise the Governor and state lawmakers on the causes of cancer and strategies to reduce cancer diagnoses and deaths. Over the past 25 years, Delaware’s cancer incidence and mortality rates have continued to decline each year.

Click here to make an appointment at the Graham Cancer Center.

Today, the consortium is recognized nationally as a model for how states can improve cancer prevention, early detection and access to care through collaboration and innovation.

Making Delaware a Model for the Nation

Throughout his career, Petrelli developed and shaped ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute into one of the nation’s leading community‑based cancer programs. As medical director for more than two decades, he oversaw the growth of Delaware’s largest and most advanced cancer program, expanding access to coordinated, high quality cancer care across the state.

Under his leadership, the Graham Cancer Center earned national recognition as a National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) site and as one of the original NCI Community Cancer Centers Program sites, and today stands as one of only a few hybrid academic community cancer centers in the country.

Petrelli also established the Cawley Center for Translational Cancer Research and helped launch major research initiatives, including the Gene Editing Institute and a long‑standing partnership with The Wistar Institute, bringing cutting‑edge research and clinical trials closer to home for Delaware patients.

“Your dedication has helped make Delaware a model for the nation,” Brown wrote. “It is only fitting that we pause to celebrate the difference your contributions have made.”