Tampa General Hospital Receives FACT Accreditation in Continued Commitment to World-Class, Innovative Cancer Care

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Sep 05, 2025, 16:03 ET

FACT Accreditation represents a gold seal of quality and safety in the world of stem cell transplant and cellular therapy.

TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As they continue to bring leading-edge cancer care to the region, Tampa General Hospital (TGH) and the TGH Cancer Institute have been awarded accreditation by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), a testament to the academic health system's commitment to clinical excellence, innovation and patient safety in stem cell transplant and cellular therapy.

Tampa General Hospital (TGH) and the TGH Cancer Institute have been awarded accreditation by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT).

FACT is a nonprofit organization that establishes standards for high-quality medical and laboratory practice in cellular therapies, transplantation of living cells into the body. Receiving the FACT accreditation assures that a program meets internationally recognized standards, uses the best practices in patient care, cell collection, processing and administration. The accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies, The Joint Commission and international societies.

"Tampa General is honored to be recognized by FACT," said Dr. Eduardo Sotomayor, vice president and executive director of the TGH Cancer Institute. "As a leading academic health system, we are always striving to provide innovative treatments to our patients. This accreditation signifies our efforts as we continue to develop the Cancer Institute into a world-class, research-driven resource for cancer patients."

The TGH Cancer Institute's cellular therapy program consists of immune effector cell therapy, such as Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy (an immunological treatment during which the body's own immune T cells are modified and used to find and kill cancer cells) and stem cell transplant to treat patients with aggressive blood cancers, including lymphomas, multiple myeloma and leukemias.

Dr. Ivan Borrello, hematologist oncologist, physician-scientist and medical director of the Myeloma, Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) and Cell Therapies program within the TGH Cancer Institute, has been leading BMT and CAR T therapies since he joined Tampa General in 2022 from Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center in Baltimore.

"As we work to develop options for patients with complex cancers, we have been focused on offering novel immune-based therapies to elevate the Bone Marrow Transplant and Cell Therapies Unit into a nationally and internationally recognized program," said Borrello. "It is amazing to be recognized by FACT for our rigor and efforts to achieve excellence in our health system."

A team of dedicated cell therapy nurses, practitioners and social workers cares for patients in two settings — a dedicated inpatient BMT unit and the outpatient Cellular-Immunotherapy Transplant Unit.

"This milestone not only affirms TGH's leadership in cellular therapy but also offers patients the assurance that their care is delivered with exceptional expertise, precision and compassion," said Dr. Abraham Schwarzberg, executive vice president, chief of Oncology, president of the Tampa General Provider Network (TGPN) and co-vice president of Clinical and Translational Research, TGH-USF Health Office of Clinical Research.

One of the few Florida cancer centers backed by academic medicine, in partnership with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the TGH Cancer Institute ranks among the nation's top 10% of U.S. hospitals by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals 2025-2026. The Cancer Institute provides comprehensive care via groundbreaking therapies, advanced diagnostic imaging tools and a highly coordinated, interdisciplinary approach to world-class patient care. It is certified by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Accreditation and by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for meeting the strict standards required by the society's Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) program and has been named among America's Best Cancer Hospitals by Newsweek. For more information about the TGH Cancer Institute, visit www.tgh.org/cancer.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, the Tampa Bay region's only academic health system, is a 1,529-bed not-for-profit network of hospital and outpatient services spanning across Florida. As the only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care center serving 23 counties, Tampa General delivers world-class care. The system's hospitals include Tampa General Hospital, Tampa General Rehabilitation Hospital, Tampa General Behavioral Health Hospital, all in Tampa; Tampa General Brooksville, Tampa General Spring Hill and Tampa General Crystal River. Tampa General is the highest-ranked hospital in Tampa Bay in U.S. News & World Report's 2025-2026 Best Hospitals, with six medical specialties ranking among the top 50 in the nation and five additional medical specialties ranked among the top 10% best hospital programs in the United States. As the first hospital in Florida to open a clinical command center for real-time situational awareness, the academic health system has elevated its digital care coordination center to the next level by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and its analytics platform across inpatient and outpatient care to ensure patients receive leading-edge care as quickly and safely as possible. Tampa General's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by three prestigious Forbes magazine rankings — in the 2025 America's Best Large Employers, the top 50 in Florida in the 2024 America's Best Employers by State and the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women.

Tampa General is the area's safety-net hospital, caring for anyone regardless of ability to pay; in fiscal year 2023, Tampa General provided a net community benefit of approximately $301.8 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It was the nation's No. 1 adult solid organ transplant center in 2024 and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General transports critically injured or ill patients from surrounding counties to receive the advanced care their conditions require. Tampa General has a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It is home to the Muma Children's Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General's footprint includes TGH North, which consists of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties; 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices; TGH Family Care Center Kennedy; two TGH outpatient centers; TGH Virtual Health; and 19 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care, powered by the Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). For more information, go to www.tgh.org.