Becker’s Hospital Review Names RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute

West Orange, NJ, October 6, 2026 –RWJBarnabas Health, together with Rutgers Cancer Institute, the state's only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been named to Becker's Hospital Review's 100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs list for 2026, for the fourth consecutive year. The list honors hospitals and health systems that have earned national recognition for their work in driving forward advanced cancer care and research, as well as cancer centers with internationally known specialists, capacity for clinical trials and exceptional safety ratings.

RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute have transformed cancer care access across New Jersey, anchored by the Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center, the cornerstone of a more than $1.5 billion investment in oncology services statewide. The organizations opened the $225 million Melchiorre Cancer Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J. in July 2026, a five-story, 137,000-square-foot outpatient facility. The Specialty and Cancer Care Center at the Vogel Medical Campus will open in Q1 2027.

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At the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, physician-scientists presented 39 peer-reviewed abstracts, including late-breaking results from the I-SPY 2.2 trial evaluating rilvegostomig and trastuzumab deruxtecan in high-risk HER2-negative breast cancer. One physician received a four-year, $800,000 grant from the V Foundation for Cancer Research to advance T-cell immunotherapies for cancers caused by human papillomavirus, building on phase 2 results in which six of 10 patients saw significant tumor shrinkage, including two complete responses. The system also recruited a chief of breast surgery and co-director of its multidisciplinary breast program. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital was ranked No. 4 in New Jersey and No. 17 in the Mid-Atlantic region by U.S. News & World Report, earning a "high-performing" designation in cancer care delivered jointly with Rutgers Cancer Institute.

ABOUT RWJBARNABAS HEALTH

RWJBarnabas Health is New Jersey's largest and most comprehensive academic health system, caring for more than five million people annually. Nationally renowned for quality and safety, the system includes 14 hospitals and 9,000 affiliated physicians integrated to provide care at more than 700 patient care locations.

RWJBarnabas Health partners with its communities to build and sustain a healthier New Jersey.It provides patient-centered care in a compassionate manner and is the state's largest safety-net provider and leader in addressing the social determinants of health. RWJBarnabas Health provides food to the hungry, housing for the homeless and economic opportunities to those most vulnerable.

RWJBarnabas Health's commitment to enhancing access to care includes a transformative partnership with Rutgers University, including the Rutgers Cancer Institute — the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey's largest private employers, with more than 45,000 employees, contributing more than $7 billion to the state economy every year. For more information, visit www.RWJBH.org

About Rutgers Cancer Institute

As New Jersey's only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Rutgers Cancer Institute, together with RWJBarnabas Health, provides patients access to the most advanced treatment options including clinical trials close to home at our facilities throughout the state. Our groundbreaking cancer research is the engine that drives access to the most advanced cancer treatments, where our discoveries become your care. This has been enhanced with the opening of the state's first and only freestanding cancer hospital, the Jack and Sheryl Morris Cancer Center. Visit: www.cinj.org.