UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

08/26/2026

more than 300 cancer survivors and their families gathered at UPMC Northwest for a special celebration of resilience, hope, and community.

Sponsored by the Northwest Hospital Foundation, the 2026 survivor picnic brought together patients, loved ones, and care teams to honor those whose cancer journeys reflect extraordinary strength and perseverance.

During the celebration, Ed Marchan, MD, radiation oncologist, Hillman Cancer Center, UPMC Northwest, announced that UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at UPMC Northwest will soon offer stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), an advanced treatment that delivers highly precise radiation while reducing the number of treatments many patients need. Most importantly, this investment means more patients can access leading-edge cancer care close to home, surrounded by the people and support systems that matter most.

As we celebrate cancer survivors, we also recognize the caregivers, clinicians, donors, and community partners helping expand access to high-quality cancer care and bringing new hope to patients and families across the region.

More than 300 cancer survivors and their families attended UPMC Northwest’s recent picnic honoring those who have survived cancer and continue to thrive.

08/19/2026

More than 700 participants came together on August 8 at the North Park Boathouse for the 8th Annual Head for the Cure 5K. The event raises awareness, funds, and hope for those affected by brain cancer.

The morning was a powerful reminder of what community can make possible. Survivors, families, friends, caregivers, advocates, and supporters gathered to honor loved ones, celebrate resilience, and help advance brain cancer research.

During the event, Dr. Michal Nisnboym Ziv, a neuro-oncologist at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, shared how philanthropy fuels progress — supporting research that can lead to better treatments, improved care, and new hope for patients and families facing brain cancer.

Several remarkable members of the brain cancer community were also recognized for their courage, compassion, and commitment. Survivors Karin Brightwell, Sara Krause, and JoAnn Heckman received the Keeping the Faith Award, and Jan Drappatz, MD, and Hanna Waldschmidt, RN, of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center were honored with the Healthcare Hero Award.

Thank you to Head For The Cure, the event organizers, volunteers, sponsors, participants, and every supporter who helped make this meaningful day possible. Your generosity is helping move brain cancer research forward and bringing hope to patients and families in our community.

08/12/2026

On August 1, the Sewickley community came together for the second annual Allan “Champ” Ferragonio Car Show, raising more than $16,000 to support leukemia research at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

Held in memory of Allan “Champ” Ferragonio, who received care for acute myeloid leukemia at UPMC Hillman, the event honored his legacy with a meaningful day of classic cars, custom vehicles, food trucks, family fun, and community support.

Our heartfelt thanks to Al Ferragonio, the Ferragonio family, C&G Performance, volunteers, sponsors, and everyone who attended. Your generosity helps fuel life-changing research and brings hope to patients and families facing cancer.

08/11/2026

Thank you to Champion Lakes Golf Course and everyone who supported the Let’s Beat Cancer Golf Outing on July 23 in Ligonier. Thanks to the generosity of golfers, sponsors, and community members, the event raised important funds to support cancer patients and advance cancer research at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

During the outing, Dr. Shantan G. Reddy of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Ebensburg joined golfers on the course and shared more about UPMC Hillman’s mission to transform cancer care through groundbreaking research and compassionate patient support.

08/10/2026

08/07/2026

Udai Kammula, MD, director of the Solid Tumor Cell Therapy Program at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, was puzzled when the metastatic tumors he was surgically removing from patients with uveal melanoma were chock full of T-cells. These mighty white blood cells work tirelessly to activate the body’s immune system and fight off pathogens.

Uveal melanoma was a type of cancer that wasn’t responding to any cell-boosting therapies, so that didn’t make any sense.

Dr. Kammula began to wonder what it was about the tumor’s microenvironment that stopped the T-cells from activating and working against the tumor. Him and his team decided that they would take the T-cells inhabiting the metastases and grow them externally in the lab by the billions before infusing them back into the patient as treatment.

“Everyone, including my mentor, said it was never going to work. We were never going to see results,” says Dr. Kammula. “But, we did.”

Katie Doble is one of Dr. Kammula’s patients who has seen remarkable results.

She was only 31 years old and living in Denver when she was first diagnosed with stage 4 uveal melanoma and told she had 16 months to live. In July 2020, Katie turned to Dr. Kammula’s trial; it was her fourth clinical trial.

After confirming Katie’s eligibility for the trial and admitting her as a patient, Dr. Kammula’s team took less than a million of her T-cells back to their lab, where they multiplied the cells to reach 111 billion.

They then infused them back into Katie and monitored her as the T-cells began to work their magic.

More than three years after her treatment, Katie remains cancer free. “We watch her like a hawk,” says Dr. Kammula. “Thus far, she is doing great.”

Dr. Kammula and his team will continue to monitor their patients as the years go by, but they remain confident and inspired by the promising results they’ve achieved thus far.

Thank you to Dr. Kammula and his team for providing new hope to cancer patients.💜

08/02/2026

A powerful show of community and hope recently took place at North Park, where patients, survivors, families, and clinicians came together for the 16th annual Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma Run/Walk.

Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma is a volunteer‑led organization dedicated to advancing research for sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. About 15,000 Americans are diagnosed each year, yet funding remains limited compared to more common cancers, making events like this essential to accelerating discovery.

“Everything we do to take care of our patients is to increase hope and increase chances that we can cure people as we move forward, and that can’t be done without research,” said Dr. Ben Nascev, medical oncologist at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

Since 2011, Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma has donated more than $3 million to local and regional research partners. This year’s event surpassed its fundraising goal, raising nearly $450,000 for sarcoma research and making it the most successful event in the organization’s history!

Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma says all the funds will drive critical cancer research.

07/30/2026

Thanks to everyone who came out last Thursday for Science, Chilled & Distilled and our speaker, Dr. Ron Buckanovich, who taught us about his exciting science and the importance of targeting slow growing cells to eliminate cancer. We also want to thank our community partner Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (PUMP); and our host East End Brewing Company! We’re planning another event for the fall - stay tuned!

07/23/2026

07/22/2026

Join us this Thursday for Science, Chilled & Distilled at East End Brewing Company. PUMP sat down with our speaker Dr. Ron Buckanovich to learn more about his journey to Pittsburgh and what to expect in his presentation, “Targeting the Tortoise to Prevent Care Recurrence: The importance of killing slow growing cancer cells.”
Listen at: https://www.facebook.com/reel/2106319146619524

🗓️ July 23 | 🕒 5:30 PM 📍 East End Brewing Company (147 Julius Street)
RSVP for the event at: https://www.facebook.com/share/1VCAeCwDAL/