On Jul. 10, 2015, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center its highest designation, making it one of only 45 cancer centers nationally to receive the distinction over the past 44 years.

Simmons Cancer Center was the first and only facility in North Texas to receive the NCI’s comprehensive designation, and the second in the University of Texas System, joining MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The designation included an $8.1 million grant for cancer center support.