![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/PMC-Huntsman-affiliation-Dr.-Sachin-Apte.jpg\")
<\/a>Dr. Sachin Apte, chief clinical officer at Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, addresses a crowd gathered at Portneuf Medical Center on Tuesday for a ceremony to mark the beginning of an affiliation between the two hospitals. | Logan Ramsey, EastIdahoNews.com <\/p>\nHuntsman Cancer Institute is a highly prestigious research facility and hospital located on the University of Utah campus. Before Tuesday, it was affiliated with six different hospitals from five neighboring states, according to a Portneuf Health press release. Portneuf Medical Center is the seventh hospital to affiliate with the Utah hospital.<\/p>\n
The way Dr. Michael Callaghan, radiation oncologist at PMC, explained it, this affiliation places Portneuf Cancer Center under Huntsman\u2019s \u201cumbrella\u201d of care. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen (we) call down and talk to one of the physicians down there, (we\u2019re) part of the team, as opposed to the guys down the road,\u201d Callaghan said. \u201cAnd even though (we\u2019re) friendly and everything else, (we\u2019re) now part of that umbrella.\u201d<\/p>\n
The affiliation between PMC and Huntsman has been in the making for almost two decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cNearly 20 years ago, the idea of an affiliation with the Huntsman Cancer Institute began with excitement, confidence and a clear vision of what success would look like,\u201d Callaghan said in his remarks to the crowd Tuesday.<\/p>\n
However, due to setbacks experienced over the years, he compared the journey to the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphus<\/a>, who was condemned to push a boulder up a hill, only to have it fall back down again, for eternity.<\/p>\n \u201cAt first glance, that\u2019s a story of futility, about endless work without reward,\u201d Callaghan said. \u201cBut after 20 years on this journey, I see this story differently.\u201d<\/p>\n