Cutting-Edge Care

Robot Prepares Precise Drug Doeses at Three Times the Speed

Through a vital gift of $1.2 million from Roslyn and Leonard Stoler, the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center (UMGCC) has added a revolutionary new technology to our cancer-fighting arsenal: a chemotherapy robot that prepares drug doses three times faster than a pharmacist or technician.

One of only three such machines in the country, the “Lindsay Robot” – named for the Stolers’ granddaughter, who was successfully treated for cancer nearly 20 years ago – is not only reducing treatment wait times for patients, but it is also adding precision and safety to the drug preparation process. Among its many capabilities, the robot:

- Includes built-in quality control mechanisms, such as barcoding and weighing, that increase the accuracy of drug preparation

- Precisely performs calculations required for dosing and confirms the measurements while recording them automatically and consistently

- Positively identifies drugs, further reducing the chance for incorrect drugs or container errors

- Offers a sterile environment that reduces the potential for drug contamination and protects pharmacists and technicians from possible exposure to chemotherapy agents

The Stolers are longstanding members of the UMGCC family, committing $5 million to the construction of a new outpatient center, the Roslyn and Leonard Stoler Pavilion, in 2005. A dedication ceremony for the new Lindsay Robot took place in July 2013 at the Stoler Pavilion – a fitting tribute to these remarkable philanthropists.

“This amazing piece of automated technology will deliver significant value on many fronts, from patient safety to inventory management,” says Len Stoler. “But most importantly, it will improve the experience for all of the patients who come to the cancer center each day to receive chemotherapy treatments.”

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