HOUSTON – The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center says they are teaming up with Texas Children’s Hospital to combine their patient populations.
The UT System Board of Regents and the Texas Children’s Board of Trustees approved the merger on Wednesday.
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MD Anderson says the combination will increase pediatric cancer clinical trials, “ultimately expediting discoveries and enhancing the availability of innovative cancer treatments.”
Texas has one of the youngest and fastest growing populations in the country and has the second most total pediatric cancer cases in the United States.
“The scope and scale of our combined effort will build the world’s preeminent pediatric cancer center, addressing the growing need for excellent patient care and greatly benefiting children with cancer through increased access to care and to clinical trials,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “MD Anderson and Texas Children’s offer unique strengths that when brought together will accelerate improved outcomes for patients in Texas and around the world.”
MD Anderson says collaborative operations and patient care will launch in early 2026. A focus on new facilities is required to offer patients and their families a best-in-class healing environment with the latest medical technology designed specifically with them in mind. MD Anderson says specifics are not yet established but will be forthcoming.
“This groundbreaking collaboration between two proven leaders in pediatric and cancer care marks the beginning of a new era in the fight against childhood cancer,” says Debra F. Sukin, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Texas Children’s. “The combined force of our two iconic programs will be led with the nation’s top talent—from clinicians and researchers to nurses and administrative professionals—each committed to realizing the shared mission of eradicating pediatric cancer.”
Will there be layoffs?
According to an MD Anderson representative, “there will not be layoffs.”
While MD Anderson and Texas Children’s have collaborated for years, MD Anderson says the new effort will expand access while offering the nation’s largest complement of pediatric subspecialty care and services to children diagnosed with all types of cancer within a single program.
“More than 200 Texas Children’s pediatric oncology specialists, who are full time faculty with Baylor College of Medicine, and over 100 MD Anderson pediatric clinicians and researchers will together advance this transformational care team. The collaboration will also feature pediatric oncology education programs aimed at training and expanding the next-generation pediatric oncology care team who will be key in our bold goal of eliminating childhood cancer,” MD Anderson says.
