The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–James has held a National Cancer Institute “exceptional” rating for four consecutive review cycles, and has maintained high U.S. News & World Report rankings for nearly three decades. It is the nation’s third-largest cancer hospital and the first freestanding cancer hospital in the Midwest. Its most recent NCI re-designation followed a competitive peer-review process and will bring a multi-million-dollar grant to support infrastructure and operations over the next five years, funding that supports 10 dedicated research centers and more than 1,500 cancer researchers, including the Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology and the Clara D. Bloomfield Center for Leukemia Outcomes Research. Total cancer-relevant external funding reached more than $146 million in 2025, the largest in the institution’s history, including $57.6 million in philanthropy and more than $73.2 million in NCI grants across 39 new awards. The 2025 “Pelotonia” fundraising event drew more than 12,000 participants and raised a record $29.2 million, pushing its 17-year total past $339 million, with 100% of proceeds supporting cancer research. The OSUCCC – James also launched the “BRIDGE Program” to address the rising incidence of early-onset cancers in adults under 50 and deployed Ohio’s first mobile lung cancer screening unit in 2025 to expand early detection in underserved communities. The center earned a perfect score of 10 on its renewal application to remain a National Clinical Trials Network lead academic participating site, a distinction it has held for more than a decade. The center was also recertified as a Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer center of excellence, one of only three institutions in the U.S. to hold that designation.
