September 27, 2001
Dana-Farber launches new web sites, adds more information and enhances accessibility
Free comprehensive cancer information available around the clock
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has launched two new Web sites to provide people with extensive, up-to-date information about cancer research and treatment, and to make it easier to support the development of new therapies at Dana-Farber.
The new Dana-Farber Web site (http://www.dana-farber.org) offers easy access to Institute resources and services, as well as to the latest information about cancers, possible treatments, clinical trials, and ongoing developments in research.
Although it contains well over 1,500 pages of information, the Dana-Farber Web site was designed for ease of use. Users can easily navigate the site's main information sections by using the tabbed menu system. Information is also organized by type of cancer and type of clinical service, and it can be quickly accessed by using a powerful search engine, a site map, or one of a dozen "Quick Links" for common tasks (find a doctor, make an appointment, etc.) found throughout the site.
"These new Web sites are part of our continuing effort to make our resources more accessible to our patients and their families, and to all cancer patients across the country and throughout the world," says Edward J. Benz, Jr., M.D., president of Dana-Farber. "We appreciate how important it is for people to be able to find accurate, credible and comprehensive information about cancer whenever they need it."
The Dana-Farber Web site provides, in collaboration with the federal National Cancer Institute, detailed information on more than 115 adult and pediatric cancers. A user searching on breast cancer, for example, would pull together in one place an explanation about what breast cancer is and the disease's various stages, an outline of current treatment options, and names and contact information for treatment at Dana-Farber. The same breast cancer page would also include listings of clinical trials underway at Dana-Farber and at institutions throughout the United States; an overview of breast cancer support services; a calendar of upcoming lectures, support group meetings, and workshops at Dana-Farber; and a visitor's guide to Dana-Farber.
The Dana-Farber site also contains several interactive features, including an online appointment request form, a searchable directory of Dana-Farber physicians and researchers, a patient-referral form for physicians, and electronic registration for a free online newsletter highlighting research and patient care at Dana-Farber.
The new Jimmy Fund Web site (http://www.jimmyfund.org) was created to make it easier for people to participate in the activities of this popular fundraising arm of Dana-Farber. Supporters can find up-to-date information on Jimmy Fund events, get tips on how to host a Jimmy Fund event, and learn how to donate blood, platelets and bone marrow. The site's interactive capabilities make it possible for people to use a credit card to give a gift to honor or in memory of someone, and, on a limited basis, to register online to participate in an event. In the future, online registration will be available for most events.
Movie buffs can view an archive of movie trailers dating back to the 1950s that feature James Cagney, Spencer Tracey, Ted Williams, Joan Crawford and other celebrities asking moviegoers to support the Jimmy Fund.
The new Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Jimmy Fund Web sites were designed and developed by the partnership of New Tilt and Pandora Systems, two Boston-area interactive agencies. New Tilt (http://www.newtilt.com) was responsible for the overall strategy of the Web sites' implementation as well as the online branding, information architecture and navigational structure. Pandora Systems (http://www.pandorasystems.com) designed and developed the technical infrastructure and 13 interactive applications for both sites.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (http://www.danafarber.org) is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), a designated comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute. Dana-Farber has a long-standing alliance with Children's Hospital Boston, a joint service for children with cancer. In 1996, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the two founding members of the Partners HealthCare System - Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital - formed Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare (DF/PCC), a collaboration in adult cancer care.
