New York Launches Cell Therapy Fellowship With Puerto Rico
Roswell Park and San Juan City Hospital will train one inaugural fellow in advanced cancer cell and gene therapy over a one-year program.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Cancer
Live Poll
Should New York State invest more in cancer care partnerships with other regions?
New York State has launched the Advanced Cell and Gene Therapy Clinical Fellowship, a cancer care training partnership between Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and San Juan City Hospital / University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center. The intensive one-year program will select one inaugural fellow, who will train at Roswell Park in Buffalo.
Why it matters
The program aims to strengthen Puerto Rico's capacity to deliver advanced cancer treatments by building a pipeline of specialized physicians for patients on the island. The partnership is also expected to lead to future collaborations with the cancer center.
The announcement cites a one-year fellowship with one inaugural fellow, with training at Roswell Park's Good Manufacturing Practice Engineering & Cell Manufacturing Facility, described as the largest academic clean-room facility of its kind in the world. The source does not report outcome data for the program, and details on the fellow's selection process remain unstated.
The players
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Roswell Park is a Buffalo-based cancer center founded in 1898 and staffed by more than 4,000 people, known for its cell manufacturing and clinical research capabilities.
San Juan City Hospital
San Juan City Hospital is a tertiary-care general medical and surgical institution serving the Municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico, which received a High Performing rating in leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
Brian Betts, MD
Brian Betts, MD, is the physician who modeled the fellowship program on guidelines from the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.
The details
Governor Hochul announced the fellowship during the Governor's Reception at the SOMOS conference in Puerto Rico. The program is modeled on guidelines from the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, developed under Brian Betts, MD, and gives the fellow clinical experience in cellular therapy at Roswell Park.
Timeline
November 9, 2026: Fellowship launch announced at the SOMOS conference in Puerto Rico.
One year: Duration of the intensive clinical fellowship training.
Roadmap
The fellowship follows training guidelines set by the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, applying that framework to a new partnership between Roswell Park and San Juan City Hospital. It extends advanced cell and gene therapy training beyond New York into Puerto Rico.
Patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma in Puerto Rico may gain access to advanced cell and gene therapy over time as the partnership builds specialized physicians. The source does not indicate when treatments will be available to patients.
The takeaway
The partnership shows how state-backed training programs can extend specialized cancer care expertise to underserved regions. Readers interested in advanced cancer therapies can follow how such collaborations develop over time.
Further reading
Explore more on cancer treatment advances and training programs.
More information
Learn more about the cancer center at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Buffalo News.
Live Poll
Should New York State invest more in cancer care partnerships with other regions?
