Ribbon cutting ceremony

Roswell Park, Ellis Medicine Open New Medical Oncology Center to Expand Access to Cancer Care in Capital Region

Newest member of Roswell Park Care Network highlights shared commitment to offering innovative, quality-driven care close to home

Highlights
  • Partnership aims to enhance quality of medical oncology care in Capital Region
  • Will expand patient access to specialists, clinical trials
  • Dr. Tallat Mahmood is Medical Director leading the new site

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Ellis Medicine and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center marked a major milestone today by cutting the ribbon on a new, much anticipated medical oncology/chemotherapy/infusion center. Under a partnership initially announced in August 2020, Ellis Medicine and Roswell Park are acting on their commitment to reduce cancer’s burden in both the Capital Region and throughout New York State.

With new medical oncology services at Ellis Hospital, the partnership aims to expand local access to cancer care, as well as the services of Buffalo-based Roswell Park, the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center in upstate New York.

“All of us at Ellis Medicine are excited to welcome Roswell Park to the Capital Region,” says Paul Milton, President and CEO of Ellis Medicine. “This collaboration is unique and forward-thinking. It will give the residents of this region the best of both worlds: care plans and treatments overseen by one of the best cancer centers in the country, but available close to home in a community hospital setting. This is what collaboration is all about—uniting our strengths to improve lives.”  

“Today, Ellis Medicine and Roswell Park are addressing the unmet need for medical oncology services in Schenectady,” adds Thomas Schwaab, MD, PhD, Chief of Strategy, Business Development and Outreach at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Ellis is an outstanding healthcare system that has demonstrated a shared commitment to offering innovative, patient-centered, quality-driven cancer care close to home. This partnership will ensure that patients throughout upstate New York have access to new treatment options, expanded expertise, and quality oversight as we work together as a team.”

The new oncology center at Ellis is a member site of the Roswell Park Care Network, the most expansive community cancer, supportive and specialized care affiliation across upstate New York.

Ellis and Roswell also introduced today Tallat Mahmood, MD, the Medical Director leading the new Roswell Park Care Network site at Ellis. Prior to joining the Roswell Park team, Dr. Mahmood served as Medical Director of the Memorial Healthcare Cancer Center in Owosso, Michigan, a state in which she has spent most of her 20-plus-year career treating all cancers. More recently, Dr. Mahmood spent a year teaching at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, before moving to the Capital Region.

“Roswell Park has a vision for growth here in Schenectady,” says Dr. Mahmood. “In time, we want to not only expand services for the community, but also build a research infrastructure here and tap into the experience and the resources at Roswell Park to do that. The opportunities we have to expand access to the newest innovations in cancer treatment are nothing short of inspiring.”

Earning her medical degree from Aga Khan University Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan, Dr. Mahmood completed an internal medicine residency from West Virginia University and a Hematology/Oncology Fellowship from Tulane University in New Orleans.

The Ellis-Roswell Park partnership aims to enhance the quality of medical oncology care in the Capital Region and expand patient access to both specialists and clinical trials. Roswell Park medical oncologists will work in conjunction with established radiation oncologists at Ellis to provide a full array of services. Care will meet the guidelines established by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), in which Roswell Park is a founding member, and local residents will have access to some of the latest treatment and research options from a nationally ranked cancer center. Before now, Capital Region families had to travel several hours to seek the services of an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center.

The Capital Region community will also benefit by being able to participate in Roswell Park’s outreach and network programs, which include community education, cancer prevention and professional educational programs.

The new medical oncology/chemotherapy/infusion center occupies a newly renovated wing on the top floor of Ellis Hospital. The center began seeing patients late last month.

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About Roswell Park
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a community united by the drive to eliminate cancer’s grip on humanity by unlocking its secrets through personalized approaches and unleashing the healing power of hope. Founded by Dr. Roswell Park in 1898, it is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. Learn more at www.roswellpark.org, or contact us at 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or ASKRoswell@roswellpark.org.
 

About Ellis Medicine
Ellis Medicine is a 438-bed community and teaching healthcare system serving New York’s Capital Region. With five campuses — Ellis Hospital, McClellan Street Health Center, Bellevue Woman’s Center, Mohawk Harbor and the Medical Center of Clifton Park — 3,000 employees and more than 700 members of its medical staff, Ellis Medicine is proud to provide a lifetime of care for patients. Ellis offers an extensive array of inpatient and outpatient services — including cardiac, cancer, emergency, mental health, and women’s services. Contact us at 518-243-4000, or email info@ellismedicine.org

Media Contact

Rebecca Vogt, Media Relations Specialist
716-845-4919; rebecca.vogt@roswellpark.org

Philip Schwartz, Sr. Director of Marketing & Communications, Ellis Medicine
518-831-8588; schwartzp@ellismedicine.org