UPMC Convenes Global Oncology Leaders to Advance the Future of Cancer Care
By: Lisa Lombardo
Key Takeaways
• Cancer innovation only improves lives when it reaches people. The UPMC International Oncology Forum focused on accelerating the translation of breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, genomics, immunotherapy, precision medicine and radiation oncology into real-world care and better outcomes.
• UPMC Hillman Cancer Center’s global network is built to move knowledge across borders. Physicians, researchers and scientists from the United States, Croatia, Ireland and Italy collaborate through a connected oncology network that helps bring research, clinical expertise and innovation to people more quickly.
• UPMC’s investment in Croatia reflects a broader commitment to expanding access to advanced cancer care. Through UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Zabok and partnerships across Europe, UPMC is strengthening cancer care capabilities, improving access to advanced diagnostics and treatment and addressing significant health challenges.
As cancer rates continue to rise worldwide, the need to move discoveries from the laboratory to the bedside has never been more urgent.
In Zagreb, Croatia, UPMC brought together leading physicians, researchers, scientists and health care leaders from across Europe and the United States for the UPMC International Oncology Forum, a conference focused on how the latest advances in cancer care can reach people faster and improve outcomes.
Today’s most important breakthroughs in oncology, from artificial intelligence and genomics to immunotherapy and precision radiation therapy, increasingly depend on collaboration across institutions, disciplines and countries.
“The most important takeaway from this forum is that innovation changes lives only when it reaches people,” said Joel Nelson, M.D., president, UPMC International and executive vice president, UPMC. “The expertise shared here represents a tremendous opportunity to translate discoveries into earlier diagnoses, more personalized treatment, shorter waits for care and better outcomes. Through collaboration among physicians, researchers, health systems and public health leaders, we can accelerate progress and help ensure more people in Croatia benefit from the latest advances in cancer care.”
For UPMC, the forum also reflected a much larger commitment: advancing cancer care through a global network connected by research, innovation, education and clinical expertise.
A Pittsburgh-Based Health System WithMultinational Reach
UPMC has extended its clinical, research and educational mission internationally for more than two decades Today, over 3,000 UPMC employees work across Europe through UPMC International‘s network of UPMC-owned and operated hospitals, cancer centers and specialty facilities in Croatia, Ireland and Italy.
Rather than exporting a health care model, UPMC’s approach is rooted in partnership, working alongside local public health leaders to address the unique health needs of each community.
That philosophy has helped shape UPMC’s international oncology strategy and fueled the growth of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center beyond its domestic U.S. foundation.
Building a Global Cancer Network
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center is one of the world’s largest integrated global cancer networks, with nearly 80 locations across Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Maryland, Ireland, Italy and Croatia.
While the locations span continents, the mission is consistent: connecting world-class clinical expertise, research, innovation and education to improve the lives of people facing cancer.
Across the network, physicians collaborate on complex cases, share best practices, participate in clinical research and help translate emerging discoveries into patient care. That connected model allows innovations developed in one location to inform care in another, creating opportunities for knowledge to move faster and further.
The Zagreb conference put that model on display.
Throughout the forum, presenters from Croatia, the United States, Ireland and Italy explored topics including artificial intelligence, precision medicine, clinical trials, tumor genomics, immunotherapy, advanced radiotherapy, cancer screening and public health strategies aimed at improving outcomes.
But the real goal was broader than any individual presentation.
The forum created space for meaningful conversations about how innovation can be translated into practice and how countries can learn from one another as they work to address one of the most significant health challenges of our time.
For Beth Wild, president of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, those conversations demonstrate the power of a truly connected oncology network.
“What makes a network valuable is not the number of locations, but the ability to connect people, ideas, expertise and innovation in ways that improve care,” said Wild. “Whether a discovery happens in Pittsburgh, Cork, Rome, Zabok or elsewhere, our goal is to learn from one another and help bring the best science, research and clinical practices to the people and communities we serve.”
Why Croatia?
Croatia faces one of the highest cancer burdens in Europe. Recent national data show more than 26,000 people in the country are diagnosed with cancer each year. Cancer mortality rates in Croatia remain among the highest in the European Union.
The challenge prompted UPMC to work alongside Croatian partners to establish UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at Zabok General Hospital, which opened in 2025 as UPMC’s first investment in Croatia and the sixth UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Europe.
Located in Zabok, the center provides radiation oncology, medical oncology and advanced PET-CT diagnostics, bringing services that were previously difficult for many people to access locally.
“UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Zabok was created to help address one of Croatia’s most significant health challenges by expanding access to advanced cancer care and reducing delays in treatment,” said Wild. “Through collaboration with Croatian physicians, hospitals, the Ministry of Health and HZZO, more people can receive sophisticated diagnostics, precision medicine and advanced radiotherapy services within Croatia. Our role is not simply to bring expertise from abroad, it is to work alongside local partners to build lasting capabilities that improve outcomes and save lives.”
Just as important, the center serves as a platform for ongoing collaboration between Croatian clinicians and UPMC Hillman experts across the United States and Europe.
The conference featured presentations from leading oncology experts throughout the UPMC Hillman network and international oncology community, including Heath Skinner, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Radiation Oncology at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh.
“Cancer doesn’t recognize geographic boundaries, and neither should innovation,” said Heath Skinner, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Radiation Oncology at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh. “The opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from across Europe and the United States accelerates learning and benefits people everywhere. Through UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, researchers and clinicians work side by side to move new discoveries from the laboratory into clinical trials and patient care, supporting advances in cancer treatment to reach people as quickly as possible.”
A Growing International Oncology Footprint
UPMC’s investment in Croatia is part of a broader effort to expand access to advanced cancer care across Europe.
Together, the centers in Croatia, Ireland, Italy and the United States form a connected oncology community where expertise, research and innovation are shared across borders while care remains rooted in local communities.
More Than a Conference
The UPMC International Oncology Forum was ultimately about more than a single day of presentations.
It was about bringing together people who share a common purpose: improving the lives of those facing cancer.
It was about creating opportunities for clinicians, researchers, scientists and health care leaders to learn from one another.
“Cancer care is advancing at an extraordinary pace,” said Dr. Nelson. “Our responsibility is to make sure those advances don’t remain isolated in a single institution, city or country. They need to reach the people who need them. That’s what conversations and collaborations like these are designed to help achieve.”
For UPMC, that work starts in Pittsburgh and extends far beyond it, connecting physicians, scientists, care teams and communities across the United States and Europe in a shared effort to advance the future of cancer care.
