Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • January 7, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 15 with Memorial Sloan Kettering, which Yu says has more than 200 ongoing phase 1 cancer trials, HHC is betting that pharmaceutical companies are looking for reliable drug trial partners. Dr. Omar Eton, medical director of the HHC Cancer Institute's melanoma and skin cancer center, who Yu recruited to Hartford last year because of his three- decade experience with phase 1 cancer trials, said developing a reputation with industry will be crucial. "The demand is way beyond the supply, currently," Eton said. "Once we hook up with a [drug] company, the odds are it's going to continue for life, because those hookups are hard to set up, and once they are set up, they just continue." There are more early phase drug trials available to hospitals, as scien- tists use genetics to gain better understanding of how to target specific biological pathways or can- cer mechanisms, according to Dr. Patricia LoRusso, director of in- novative medicine at the Yale Cancer Center. And while clinical trials used to be viewed as a last-ditch option for a can- cer patient, that is slowly changing. "Now the trend is that doctors might not wait until all treatment op- tions fail before putting a patient on a trial, particularly those patients with certain genetic or other biologic mark- ers that point to specific treatment options," LoRusso said. Having a dedicated unit where patients can be comfortable as they spend hours getting blood draws, electrocardiograms and other tests as experimental drugs are administered, provides a leg up, Eton said. "You have to have something like this or else the drug companies will snore through your presentation," Eton said of Hartford HealthCare's newly built facility, which features modern medical equipment and TV monitors that can link doctors and pa- tients to specialists at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York. Yale, Connecticut's largest health system by patient revenue, built an 11-bed phase 1 oncology unit in 2016. HHC's new 1,700-square-foot facility means there are now two such units in Connecticut, though at least one other system, UConn Health, is also involved with phase 1 trials. There may be a competitive angle at play as more hospitals pursue early stage research. "They are looking for the right site," LoRusso said of drug developers. LoRusso said Yale's phase 1 unit is near capacity. Future expansions are being discussed, including estab- lishing a phase 1 site at its Smilow Cancer Hospital location at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford. While Hartford HealthCare has a modest-sized phase 1 unit now, it's just one piece of a larger picture. "Our longer-term strategic plan is to build a new Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute here at the Hartford campus," Yu said. "As physician-in- chief, I'm thinking 'well, what am I going to put in that building?' " If things go as planned, part of the answer could be a much larger phase 1 cancer drug trials unit. "Our vision is not small, we're going big here," he said. One of four infusion rooms at HHC's new clinical-trials unit. Dr. Peter Yu (right), physician-in-chief of HHC's Cancer Institute, about a year ago recruited Dr. Omar Eaton, who was an early phase clinical trial specialist in Boston. HBJ PHOTO | MATT PILON PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Community Partners in Action (CPA), a Hartford nonprofit focused on behavioral change and criminal justice reform, has tapped its former chief operating officer as executive director. CPA announced Beth Hines as its new executive director, replacing Maureen Price-Boreland, who was selected by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to be a Superior Court judge. The Hartford nonprofit conducted a six- month national search before landing on Hines, who has spent 27 years at CPA, a 143-year-old social-services agency. Hines, a Bristol native, began her professional career as a job developer at CPA immediately after graduating from UConn in 1991. MARC Community Resources, a Middletown-based nonprofit that provides services for people with developmental disabilities, has completed a kitchen renovation project at the residence of six men with intellectual disabilities, thanks in part to a $2,000 grant awarded by Eversource. MARC's mission includes providing a family environment in a home that is clean, well- cared for, and comfortable. The Children's Museum received a $6,000 grant from the West Hartford Rotary Club to begin development of an early childhood learning lab at the museum's West Hartford campus. The learning lab will consist of various immersive activities and hands-on learning, aimed specifically toward children ages 3 to 6 and their families. The United Bank Foundation Connecticut recently invested $30,000 in Hartford Marathon Foundation's 2018 FitKids in School program. The FitKids in School program supports elementary and middle school students with a six-week, goal-oriented running program at no cost to students or their participating school. Nonprofit Notebook NONPROFIT PROFILE Fidelco 103 Vision Way, Bloomfield | fidelco.org Mission To promote increased independence to men and women who are blind by providing them with the highest-quality guide dogs. Top Executive Eliot Russman, President & CEO Services Guide dog training and adoption services. FY 2017 SUMMARY 2016 2017 Total Employees 59 66 Total Assets $23,760,169 $22,582,193 Total Liabilities $2,597,465 $1,684,362 REVENUES Contributions & Grants $4,741,091 $3,082,173 Program Service Revenue $101,972 $118,432 Investment Income $860,928 $289,701 Other $76,846 $88,135 Total $5,780,837 $3,578,441 EXPENSES Grants $0 $0 Member Benefits $0 $0 Salaries/Employee Benefits $3,108,542 $3,499,150 Fundraising Fees $0 $0 Other $1,943,607 $2,384,674 Total $5,052,149 $5,883,824 Margin $728,688 $(2,305,383) TOP PAID EXECUTIVES (FY 2017) Base salary Comp. & Benef. Eliot Russman, President & CEO $217,826 $241,302 Julie Unwin, COO $102,594 $109,366 Source: Guidestar IRS 990 Tax Form Beth Hines

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