Strategic Plan 2018 LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 5 History 6 Vision & Mission 8 Who We Serve 10 Values 13 Aspirational Goals 14 Strategic Goals:
17 Establish Leadership, Governance & Operations Identify Initial Research Programs
18 Leverage & Expand Cancer Research at UT Austin, Promoting Collaboration
21 Reinvigorate Cancer Education Throughout the Continuum
22 Grow the Clinical Cancer Care Enterprise in Collaboration With the Community
25 Operationalize Patient-Centered, High-Value Care
26 Address Issues of Access & Cancer Care Disparities
29 Develop Vigorous Clinical Research, Prevention & Screening Programs 30 Create Sustainable Philanthropy & Effective, Strategic Marketing & Communications
LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes
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History
REINVENTING THE CONTINUUM OF CANCER CARE The LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes (LCI) of the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin were created in 2014 with a $50 million pledge from the LIVESTRONG Foundation. The work of the LCI builds on the knowledge gained from the foundation’s more than 20 years of unique work with cancer patients and survivors. At the LCI, we are starting with a blank slate as part of Dell Med — the first medical school in nearly 50 years to be built from the ground up at a top-tier, Association of American Universities-research university. We are building a team that puts patients at the center of all we do, fosters creativity and innovation, revolutionizes cancer treatment and reinvents the way cancer patients are cared for. We are creating an accessible, patient-centered, collaborative cancer ecosystem to deliver high-impact options for cancer patients and novel models of care delivery that minimize the chaos of the health care experience. Together with the foundation, UT Austin and our local community, we are reinventing the continuum of cancer care to improve outcomes and experiences for patients and their loved ones.
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Vision The vision of the LCI is to become an accessible, patient-centered, collaborative and high-value cancer ecosystem that: • Serves all patients, regardless of financial status. • Places patients at the center of all we do. • Works collaboratively with local scientists, clinicians and the community to discover, develop and deliver high-impact options for cancer patients. • Develops novel models of care delivery that tackle the complexities of the cancer ecosystem locally and beyond, improving outcomes and reducing redundancies.
Mission The mission of the LCI is to radically improve the cancer experience and quality of life for patients, revolutionize how we treat cancer and reinvent the way cancer patients are cared for.
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Vision & Mission
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Who We Serve We serve patients, survivors, caregivers and loved ones; health care providers; students learning across the continuum of cancer education and care; scientific colleagues and sponsors; and the Austin and Central Texas communities.
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Who We Serve
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Values At the LCI, we intend to work with the community to transform the patient experience and discover approaches that can be exported locally and beyond. To achieve this, we follow these fundamental values: • We put patients at the center of all we do. ¡¡ We partner with the diverse community of Central Texas to define the needs of cancer patients and improve access to services. ¡¡ We deliver on community-defined needs and improve outcomes in cancer services. • We are always innovating. ¡¡ We foster creativity and innovation to tackle the complexities of cancer. ¡¡ We embrace the testing of novel ideas and concepts. ¡¡ We integrate novel research approaches so we can develop, test and iterate better approaches quickly. ¡¡ We are continuously learning and improving. ¡¡ We are nimble. • We are one team embracing a shared vision. ¡¡ We collaborate among our departments, across UT Austin and with community partners. ¡¡ We are all in: No job is too big or too small. ¡¡ We are good stewards of our resources. ¡¡ We listen and share with an open mind.
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Values
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Aspirational Goals To reduce cancer’s impact, we are revolutionizing research, prevention, patient treatment and support, and community engagement to advance the full continuum of cancer care through: • Providing access to cancer care for everyone, including historically underserved populations. • Developing clinics that include a comprehensive multidisciplinary patient support team with robust supportive care services. • Expanding the early clinical trials base. • Enhancing the quality of care as assessed through outcomes important to patients. • Conducting research rivaling that of any academic cancer center. • Creating whole-person survivorship services and programs that will address the chronic adverse effects of treatment throughout the continuum of care. • Developing innovative models of care that can be exported locally and beyond. • Identifying and filling gaps in cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. • Supporting a learning culture driven by ceaseless discontent and the relentless pursuit of data.
Aspirational Goals
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Strategic Goals We are in a unique position to reinvent cancer care. By working from the ground up and engaging with our community to identify the needs of those affected by cancer, we will design a scalable model for revolutionary research programs and cancer care. LCI members from UT Austin; Dell Med; the LIVESTRONG Foundation; Seton Healthcare Family, part of Ascension; Texas Oncology (TxO); Austin Cancer Centers (ACC); and the local cancer community contributed to a strategic planning discussion, ultimately identifying eight key short-term goals: 1. Establish leadership, governance and operations; identify initial research programs. 2. Leverage and expand cancer research at UT Austin, promoting collaboration. 3. Reinvigorate cancer education throughout the continuum. 4. Grow the clinical cancer care enterprise in collaboration with the community. 5. Operationalize patient-centered, high-value care. 6. Address issues of access and cancer care disparities. 7. Develop vigorous clinical research, prevention and screening programs. 8. Create sustainable philanthropy and effective, strategic marketing and communications.
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Strategic Goals
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ESTABLISH LEADERSHIP, GOVERNANCE & OPERATIONS Identify Initial Research Programs We are committed to building a team of leaders that is as diverse and unique as the community we serve. Building on the reputation of UT Austin, a top-tier research university, we will draw high-caliber faculty and staff to develop and implement innovative cancer programs in basic, clinical and translational research. Strategy: • Identify leadership of the LCI. • Establish research programs. • Promote collaborations among cancer researchers at UT Austin. Approach: • Leverage existing faculty at UT Austin into leadership positions. • Prioritize targeted faculty/staff recruitments from outside UT Austin to capitalize on strengths and promote translational research. • Initiate regular executive committee and governance meetings. • Align potential LCI members into programs and establish membership criteria. • Identify critical needs in translational and clinical research expertise and develop a recruitment plan to meet these needs based upon the LCI programs. • Sponsor regular LCI seminar series and retreats.
Strategic Goals
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LEVERAGE & EXPAND CANCER RESEARCH AT UT AUSTIN, PROMOTING COLLABORATION Research efforts at UT Austin have incredible breadth and depth, with more than 80 researchers conducting fundamental cancer investigation in fields such as DNA damage and repair, systems immunology and the tumor microenvironment, novel drug development and computational imaging. Likewise, there is a rich community of investigators working in areas such as cancer communication, palliative care and survivorship, psycho-oncology and cancer in adolescents and young adults (AYA). The LCI will leverage this outstanding research toward supportive and therapeutic strategies for cancer patients and facilitate collaborations between bench scientists and clinicians. Strategy: • Develop mechanisms to facilitate collaborations between cancer researchers at UT Austin. • Work to develop a recruitment plan for cancer researchers across campus. Approach: • Launch a pilot project program to fund basic and clinical researchers. • Hire a translational research manager to interact with UT Austin basic researchers and facilitate clinical protocols around tissue acquisition and the development of patient-derived xenograft banks. • Establish the multi-PI Developmental Therapeutics Lab research village at the LCI to enable collaboration with UT Austin researchers for novel preclinical models and clinical translation. • Spearhead collaborative grants between LCI faculty and UT Austin cancer researchers. • Facilitate the establishment of a robust scientifically-focused cancer biostatistics and bioinformatics team. • Promote collaborations with the existing biotechnology industry in Austin and leverage this expertise toward translational projects.
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Strategic Goals
Strategic Goals
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REINVIGORATE CANCER EDUCATION THROUGHOUT THE CONTINUUM We will promote and expand cancer education from middle school, high school and college students, medical professionals and trainees, as well as patients, caregivers and the public. The goal of the LCI is to present cancer in a non-threatening manner to dispel preconceived notions of what people know about the disease. We will approach education in a way that will demystify cancer and promote discussion in and out of the classroom setting. Strategy: • Develop and deploy cancer-focused educational programs at UT Austin and throughout the community. • Provide students at UT Austin and Dell Med with opportunities for cancer research, incorporating an innovative learning experience. Approach: • Collaborate with the LIVESTRONG Foundation to deliver the LIVESTRONG at School program in local schools. • Participate in existing UT Austin events such as Explore UT and Girl Day to promote cancer education. • Develop a summer cancer research program open to college juniors and seniors. • Create a medical student interest group around cancer. • Integrate patient-centered cancer care into the Dell Med curriculum. • Provide research opportunities for third-year medical students, and explore opportunities such as scholarships for medical students pursuing interest in cancer research. • Prepare for application to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for a fellowship in medical oncology. • Train survivors and advocates to speak to community groups about cancer and cancer research. • Collaborate with Austin nonprofits to host cancer education days for families and patients.
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GROW THE CLINICAL CANCER CARE ENTERPRISE IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COMMUNITY We are developing an innovative care delivery model that is value-based and patient-centered, and in which personalized medicine is optimized for patient outcomes. In collaboration with our partners at Seton, Central Health (the Travis County health care district), TxO, ACC, MD Anderson Cancer Center and other organizations, we will identify how to address gaps in cancer treatment in Austin to ensure that every patient gets the best possible outcome from their treatment. We will also build a team of disease-specific cancer experts to work closely with the highly experienced cancer practitioners already established in Central Texas. Our programs will be based on principles of human-centered design, utilizing a range of practitioner types and technologies with constant feedback and improvement to create a learning delivery system. Strategy: • Build clinical, disease-focused expertise and leverage existing community oncology practices. • Develop integrated practice units (IPUs) as models for value and patient-outcome driven care. • Integrate molecular diagnostics into strategies for personalized medicine. • Develop a world-class pediatric oncology program. • Develop the first comprehensive care program in the Central Texas area for young adults. Approach: • Strategically recruit medical oncologists with subspecialty expertise. • Develop disease-specific multidisciplinary clinics for intake of new patients in collaboration with local practices. • Conduct patient experience groups, and use these insights to refine care paths and processes. • Incorporate molecular diagnostics into all clinical pathways. • Establish an AYA advisory board and plan for opening of AYA outpatient programs and services. • Work with both the Design Institute for Health and the Value Institute for Health and Care at Dell Med to develop novel platforms and approaches to facilitate innovative and patient-centered cancer care delivery. • Recruit a leader to build a world-class pediatric oncology program. • Develop scalable novel oncology treatment and payment models.
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Strategic Goals
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OPERATIONALIZE PATIENT-CENTERED, HIGH-VALUE CARE The goal of the LCI is to develop a personalized model of care that puts the patient and their loved ones in the center of the care experience. The LCI will provide holistic services that wrap around medical care, providing cancer patients and survivors psychosocial, spiritual, practical and financial support. We are developing a comprehensive, patient-centered clinical and supportive ambulatory service with care for patients and their loved ones in all phases of the cancer journey, from the moment of diagnosis through the course of a patient’s cancer journey, becoming their oncology medical home and facilitating smooth transitions of care. Central to this model will be a patient-support team composed of a multidisciplinary group of experts who collectively and continuously assess and monitor care based on the patient and caregiver’s values, needs and preferences. Strategy: • Develop a scalable operational model for patient support teams in the outpatient setting. • Work with the LIVESTRONG Foundation and local cancer support organizations to deploy cancer navigation services that integrate existing community support programs and resources. • Integrate fertility preservation into all cancer programs. • Build a robust platform for research that enables continuous assessment and adaption of patient-centered approaches. Approach: • Build and deploy patient-centered ambulatory clinics that include service lines such as financial counseling, physical therapy, spiritual care, psychosocial support, nutritional support, integrative therapies, job and legal counseling, fitness and yoga, palliative care and symptom management, fertility preservation and genetic counseling. • Work with local cancer-support organizations to avoid overlapping services and integrate their services into our clinics. • Establish a diverse patient and family advisory committee to ensure patients and loved ones are integral to co-designing services and developing relevant and valuable programs. • Develop an oncofertility program with treatment options through the Women’s Health Institute at UT Health Austin, and with input from the foundation. • Work with the Design Institute for Health, Moody College of Communication and the Austin technology community to develop novel digital strategies that span the care continuum. • Destigmatize and expand the use of palliative care to ensure all patients receive pain management and supportive care as part of their treatment plan. • Prioritize deployment of financial counseling navigation services to reduce financial distress or toxicity. • Collaborate with the Value Institute for Health and Care at Dell Med to initiate patient-experience groups that will facilitate the design of IPUs, patient-support teams and research on patient-reported outcomes. • Research and measure outcomes that matter most to cancer patients to better understand their needs and drive care delivery innovation and optimizations.
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ADDRESS ISSUES OF ACCESS & CANCER CARE DISPARITIES Along with community partners (Central Health in particular), the LCI will develop a new model of cancer care to provide better access for historically underserved patients. This model will more efficiently and effectively deliver care that maintains continuity and is, optimally, available closer to home. The vision is to extend these cancer services beyond Travis County to other Central Texas counties. Likewise, the LCI will address disparities that relate to a number of locally marginalized communities. Strategy: • Design a new model for access to cancer care in the community that enables participation by all providers of care, treatment closer to home and philanthropy for sustainability. • Address the AYA population, which is often logistically and financially challenged leading to inferior outcomes. Approach: • Work with the LCI’s Patient and Family Advisory Council to understand and address facets of the cancer care system that create barriers for locally marginalized populations such as the Latinx community, the black and African-American communities, refugees and immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, AYAs and homeless and financially vulnerable patients. • Develop space and programs in our clinics for AYA patients in order to address their specific needs. • Work with Central Health, the Community Care Collaborative and community providers to deploy novel payment models that ensure high-quality and improved access for cancer patients. • Ensure all services and programs are created with respect to best practices in health equity. • Address social determinants of health in order to deliver services that consider the context of patients’ lives. • Build a fundraising plan for sustainability.
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DEVELOP VIGOROUS CLINICAL RESEARCH, PREVENTION & SCREENING PROGRAMS We are committed to the development of a highly efficient, next-generation clinical research program. Collaborating with researchers on the UT Austin campus and our local and state clinical partners, we will design a vigorous clinical research program featuring innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, including management of symptoms as well as treatment-related side effects. Additionally, we will incorporate research into programs of patient support, IPUs, access, AYAs and palliative care so that we continue to pursue evidence-driven methods and demonstrate seamless integration of research into clinical care. Strategy: • Create an early-phase clinical trials effort in collaboration with our local and state partners. • Build a clinical protocol and data monitoring office in the LCI that is consistent with National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant principles. • Work with the departments of Internal Medicine and Population Health at Dell Med and the School of Nursing and the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at UT Austin to spearhead novel research initiatives focused on prevention, patient and caregiver support, access, AYAs with cancer, and IPU outcomes. Approach: • Create a high-quality clinical research effort that is hypothesis-driven, individualized, linked to translational efforts and inclusive of advanced computational imaging. • Provide all cancer patients with education about research, including tissue acquisition, so that research is embedded into the fabric of the clinic. • Develop tissue and sample acquisition protocols and consents that enable collection at all phases of therapy to learn more about response and resistance mechanisms. • Leverage advances in technology such as the internet and social media to advertise availability of clinical trials. • Elevate the national recognition of the LCI through submission of collaborative clinical research grants. • Promote collaborations between scientists at UT Austin, the LCI and the community, leading to new strategies for care and treatment of patients. • Work with Dell Med departments and across UT Austin to advance prevention and screening efforts. • Build collaborations with MD Anderson around molecular diagnostics for clinical trial selection. • Leverage the unparalleled computational modeling and computing facilities at UT Austin to develop mechanism-based, predictive models of tumor growth and treatment response to enable optimized patient-specific therapeutic regimens.
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CREATE SUSTAINABLE PHILANTHROPY & EFFECTIVE, STRATEGIC MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Integrated and coordinated philanthropy and marketing/communications functions are critical to fulfilling this strategic plan. Each function leverages our mission, vision, aspirations and values as foundational elements to inform and influence LCI stakeholders — see “Who We Serve” — and other key audiences. Fundraising for the LCI will leverage the generous $50 million naming gift from the LIVESTRONG Foundation. At least $50 million more in philanthropy is required to create endowed positions, support oper ations and sustain patient experience and survivorship programs. Marketing and communications initiatives will raise awareness of the LCI and its programs, as well as persuade prospective individuals and referral sources about using the LCI for patient care and clinical research opportunities. Strategy: • Launch joint fundraising and marketing/communications activities between Dell Med and the foundation that benefit each organization, as well as the LCI. Approach: • Help resource the strategic plan goals and actions that require private gifts and grant support and/or marketing/communications for successful execution. • Partner with the foundation for philanthropic efforts to: ¡¡ Raise annual gifts through direct mail and other channels in order to increase the number of new and renewing donors to the LCI. ¡¡ Identify, cultivate, solicit and steward major and principal gift donors to the LCI, resulting in gifts directly through Dell Med or via the foundation to be transferred to Dell Med/LCI. • Leverage drug and device development at UT Austin and build collaborative relationships with pharmacy and biotech industries. • Develop a comprehensive marketing, communications, development and fundraising strategy in conjunction with the foundation.
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LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin 1701 Trinity Street Austin, Texas 78701 dellmed.utexas.edu/livestrong-cancer-institutes 512-495-5400