Knight Cancer Institute Honors and Affiliations

Knight Cancer Research Building interior hallway with a lighted sign saying "We will end cancer as we know it"

The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is recognized as a national frontrunner in care and research. We are also part of worldwide cancer organizations and networks of experts. That puts us on the front lines of the fight against cancer.

Comprehensive Cancer Center

NCI Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center logo

In 2017, the Knight earned the National Cancer Institute’s top designation: Comprehensive Cancer Center. The honor ranks us among the nation’s top centers, upgrading our status as a NCI Cancer Center starting in 1997. We are the only Comprehensive Cancer Center between Seattle and Sacramento.

The designation recognizes our leadership in:

  • Laboratory and clinical research
  • Serving the community by educating and training researchers and health care professionals
  • Research that spans scientific areas

The designation means the Knight excels in:

  • Leading-edge treatments
  • Turning lab discoveries into advances in care
  • Providing public education and outreach

Magnet recognition

An American Nurses Credentialing Center badge that reads "Magnet Recognized."

The American Nurses Credentialing Center recognizes OHSU as a Magnet organization, one of the world’s highest distinctions for excellence in nursing. It recognizes the strong culture of leadership among our nurses.  

In its 2022 review, the Commission on Magnet Recognition highlighted accomplishments: 

  • Certification: OHSU nurses achieved 62% improvement in professional nursing certification. 
  • Education: 93% of OHSU registered nurses have earned a bachelor's degree or higher. 
  • Newborn care: OHSU nurses led a program to optimize nutrition for low-birthweight babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. 
  • Safer emergencies: OHSU nurses found ways to reduce violence and emphasize safety in the emergency department. 
  • Innovation: OHSU nurses used video technology to observe more patients in a safe and effective way. 

OHSU first earned the Magnet designation in 2012, and was recognized again in 2017 and 2022. Only 9% of U.S. hospitals have earned this distinction. 

Surgical Quality Partner

ACS Surgical Quality Partner "Black Diamond" - 200 px wide

We’re proud to be a Surgical Quality Partner of the American College of Surgeons. This designation reflects our proven record of commitment to the highest standards. Our dedication to relentless self-improvement helps us minimize complications, improve outcomes and save lives.

We partner with the ACS in the following programs:

  • Quality Verification Program
  • Commission on Cancer Accreditation
  • Children’s Surgery Verification
  • Metabolic and Bariatric Accreditation
  • Surgery Quality Improvement Program
  • Surgery Quality Improvement Program - Pediatric
  • Trauma Quality Improvement Program
  • Trauma Verification, Review and Consultation

SWOG Cancer Research Network

SWOG Cancer Research Network logo

The Knight is the headquarters for the SWOG Cancer Research Network. The network has more than 12,000 members in 47 states and six countries. That gives the Knight connections to the brightest minds in cancer as well as top-flight research and resources.

SWOG designs and conducts clinical trials to prevent, detect and treat cancer. It also works to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors.

Association of American Cancer Institutes

AACI

We belong to the Association of American Cancer Institutes. AACI centers are devoted to improving cancer care and relieving suffering. AACI work includes:

  • A research network to share best practices
  • A forum for doctors to share knowledge and successes
  • Educating legislators about cancer care to shape public policies

Other honors and affiliations

  • The Knight's Center for Experimental Therapeutics has been selected for the National Cancer Institute's Chemical Biology Consortium. This group is spearheading national efforts to turn promising discoveries into new cancer therapies.  
  • The Knight is partnering with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and other top cancer centers in the Beat AML trial. The trial aims to find new therapies for a deadly leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, with few treatment options. Dr. Brian Druker helped and lead the trial.
  • Knight researcher Lisa Coussens was elected president of the American Association for Cancer Research in 2022. The AACR includes more than 50,000 doctors and researchers in 129 countries. It publishes 10 peer-reviewed journals, hosts scientific conferences, funds research, and advocates issues important to cancer survivors.
  • We partner with Be the Match, the world’s largest registry for matching marrow donors and patients.
  • The Northwest Marrow Transplant Program, a joint OHSU-Legacy Health program, has been accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy since 2000.
  • OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, whose cancer doctors work closely with the Knight, is a member of the Children’s Oncology Group. The clinical trials network gets National Cancer Institute funding to develop medications for childhood cancer.
  • The Knight’s Dr. Richard Maziarz serves on the steering committee of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network. He also chairs the network’s Oregon Consortium, a joint project of OHSU, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic and Loyola University.
  • The Knight is one of nine global cancer centers to participate in the “Partner of Choice” network organized by AstraZeneca. The network gives us the opportunity to work with some of the world’s top researchers.