James Graham Brown Cancer Center campaign surpasses $41.5 million goal
Donald Miller, M.D., director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, meets with a patient at University Hospital.
The James Graham Brown Cancer Center's "Finding Answers to Cancer" fund-raising campaign has raised more than $46.5 million in just 18 months, easily eclipsing its initial target, University of Louisville President James Ramsey, Ph.D., announced March 13.
"We've already surpassed our original goal of $41.5 million, but we are not yet declaring victory," Ramsey said. "We will continue to seek contributions right up to our original campaign end date of 2008."
Studies early in the campaign identified funding needs at the center of about $80 million.
"More than 4,800 people, corporations and foundations already have contributed to the campaign, which says a lot about the faith our community has in the center's work," said campaign chair Robert Rounsavall III.
So far, the campaign has provided funding to establish seven new endowed chairs and four endowed professorships, bringing some of the nation's top cancer experts and research scientists to Louisville, said Donald Miller, M.D., center director. Funding also has been used to educate people about the importance of cancer screening and early detection.
The facility will continue to recruit outstanding researchers and physicians, Miller said, and is working to establish a center for clinical trials that can provide patients with the most promising new cancer treatments.
"The contributions coming in from our community are allowing our scientists to test new ideas and move their discoveries to patients as quickly as possible," he said.
