This is a sidebar from Spotlight PA’s “The Institute” investigation, which can be read here.
Structure of Penn State, Penn State Health, Penn State Cancer Institute
The Penn State Cancer Institute, based at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, is part of the wider university and Penn State Health. The institute treats patients in the health system, and shares some doctors and researchers with the university’s College of Medicine faculty.
Penn State University is the majority owner of the health system and oversees research. Penn State Health financially supports the medical college and is responsible for clinical care at its locations in central Pennsylvania.
Until May 2024, Raymond Hohl, the cancer institute director, oversaw the center’s clinical and research work. Now he is in charge of the center’s education and research efforts.
How National Cancer Institute Designation works
Designation from the National Cancer Institute is a prestigious marker of research excellence. The status was created in 1971 as part of a national strategy to find better treatments for cancer. Designated centers offer highly specialized care and cutting-edge research trials. There are 73 designated centers across the country and most are affiliated with university medical schools.
To secure the title, cancer centers apply for a federal grant, a long and painstaking process. The application can take more than a year to complete and run longer than 1,000 pages.
Centers are evaluated based on their research across a variety of areas, including how they address the needs of the regions they serve. Once a center obtains designation, its status is periodically reviewed by the NCI to make sure it still meets federal standards.
There are three levels of designation. The highest rating is “comprehensive,” which recognizes a center’s ability to conduct research across several disciplines and its impact on a defined geographic area.
The other types of designation are “basic laboratory,” which recognizes specialized laboratory research, and “clinical,” which recognizes an organization’s research capabilities in multiple fields.
Leadership changes
- Steve Massini retired from his position as CEO of Penn State Health in October 2024.
- Deborah Addo, the health system’s chief operating officer, retired in the fall of 2025.
- Robert Harbaugh, previously the chief medical officer of Hershey Medical Center, stepped back from his leadership role in November 2025; he is still a professor in the medical college.
- Kevin Black served as interim dean of the university’s medical college until Karen Kim was hired on a permanent basis in September 2023. He is currently interim vice dean for educational affairs at the medical school.
Prior to publication, Spotlight PA contacted these people directly and through Penn State’s communications staff. They did not respond to requests for comment.
How Spotlight PA reported this story
Spotlight PA contacted more than 150 people connected to the Penn State Cancer Institute, and spoke with more than 30, including current and former employees. Most asked not to be named out of fear of retaliation. Information provided by sources and cited in this story was confirmed by others or through records obtained by Spotlight PA. The newsroom reviewed hundreds of pages of internal documents, including investigations, audit reports, patient safety documents, emails and text messages.
The newsroom spoke with oncologists and other cancer experts not connected to Penn State to vet its findings and put the alleged problems in proper context. Reporters contacted patients and reached out to other sources through phone calls, emails, text messages, home visits and handwritten letters.
Several months before publication, Spotlight PA contacted Penn State Health’s communications office to request interviews with the leaders mentioned in this story to better understand their views and actions. Penn State declined to make any of the officials available for interviews. The newsroom also sent Penn State a list of questions ahead of publication. While a spokesperson provided a general statement, none of the newsroom’s questions were answered directly.
About two weeks before publication, Spotlight PA sent a detailed list of findings to Penn State and individuals connected to the health system who are named in this story as a final opportunity to comment. The newsroom did not receive any responses by its deadline.
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