Washington Hospital & UCSF Expand Local Cancer Care

Residents of Tri-City now have access to the best available cancer care at a new cancer center located at 2500 Mowry Ave. in Fremont. The UCSF - Washington Cancer Center is part of the existing collaboration with UCSF Health.

“The new center provides Tri-City Area residents access to highly specialized cancer services and specialists not previously available in the community,” said Nancy Farber, chief executive officer of Washington Hospital Healthcare System.

UCSF Health physicians Dr. Bogdan Eftimie and Dr. David Lee will serve as co-medical directors of the expanded cancer program.

Farber said both are established and respected specialists already practicing in Southern Alameda County and both have extensive medical training, education and board certification in oncology and hematology.

“Our goal is to provide a high-quality, community-based center offering efficient and timely care for those with cancer in the Tri-City Area,” explained Dr. Lee. “We consider ourselves neighborhood doctors with all the advantages of an internationally renowned medical center,” he said. “Our patients will have access to the technology, clinical trials, research and academic resources of UCSF without having to travel out of their home community.”

Dr. Eftimie added that one specific advantage of the local center is that patients who qualify will be able to participate in cutting-edge clinical trials run by UCSF while staying in their own community.

One such example is access to immune therapy treatments for certain types of cancers which is now available and approved by the Federal Drug Administration, Dr. Eftimie explained.

“Other cutting-edge therapies soon should be available locally through UCSF and Washington Hospital,” he added.

The UCSF - Washington Cancer Center is the latest benefit for Tri-City residents from the three-year relationship between Washington Hospital and UCSF Health, and it is the first step toward a future expansion of cancer services at Washington Hospital.

“Dr. Eftimie and Dr. Lee are a great illustration of how our affiliation with UCSF benefits Tri-City residents and their overall access to academic-level medical care,” Farber said.

“This is an opportunity for Washington Hospital and UCSF to work together to enhance care for patients in Southern Alameda County, said Mark Laret, chief executive officer and president of UCSF Health.

“Doctors Eftimie and Lee are terrific physicians, committed to cancer innovation and translating research into better therapies and major breakthroughs,” Laret added.

“They will be providing patients with precise diagnoses and the highest quality care, in the most comforting, convenient environment possible. This will play an extraordinary role in meeting the needs of the community,” he said.

The collaboration reflects a growing demand for cancer care and long-term surveillance that stems from an aging population, a rising incidence of cancer and a significant increase in the number of cancer survivors.

Dr. Eftimie and Dr. Lee are members of the UCSF Medical Center, which is part of UCSF Health. UCSF Medical Center is ranked number one in Northern California and is in the top 10 nationwide for cancer care, according to U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals.”