Ralph Lauren issues grant to UChicago Medicine for cancer center
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has received a grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation for a new cancer center.
The UChicago Medicine Ralph Lauren Center will focus on cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and support services. It will bridge gaps and expand cancer care in vulnerable Chicago area communities.
The first site for the cancer center will launch this year at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Hospital in south suburban Harvey. The other will open at the main University of Chicago Medical Center in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood within the new AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion, which is set to open in April 2027.
The AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion, at 57th Street and Drexel Avenue, will be a 575,000 square-foot tower dedicated to cancer care and research. It will also include the Carole Bransky Breast Center for breast cancer and a rapid assessment for immunocompromised patients, among other features.
"We are honored that The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation selected UChicago Medicine to open the first Ralph Lauren Center in the Midwest and the fourth in the U.S.," Dr. Kunle Odunsi, director of the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, said in a news release. "The award speaks to our shared mission to improving access to cancer care in the community."
The grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation is part of a $25 million commitment to establish or expand five cancer centers in communities around the U.S. UChicago Medicine has had a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center since 1973.
Other Ralph Lauren cancer centers have been set up at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Care Center in Washington, D.C.; the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in East Harlem in New York City; and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles.
"Over the last 30 years, our mission to support communities around the world in the fight against cancer has grown into something greater than I could have ever imagined. From New York to Washington, Los Angeles and now Chicago, we are making a real impact on this disease, helping to raise awareness, improve outcomes and provide support — all thanks to the tireless work of the dedicated caregivers at our cancer centers," fashion mogul and philanthropist Ralph Lauren, executive chairman and chief creative officer of the corporate foundation that bears his name, said in the release. "The University of Chicago Medicine's new state-of-the-art center will change lives by making high-quality care more available to those who need it most throughout the Chicago community."
Dr. Nita Lee, associate director of community outreach and engagement at the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Care Center, will be program director for the UChicago Medicine Ralph Lauren Center at both the Hyde Park and Harvey locations.
She will work with the UChicago Medicine Urban Health Initiative, led by chief community health transformation officer Dr. Catina Latham, and the Ingalls Memorial oncology team, led by Dr. James Wallace, a news release noted.
Cancer is a leading cause of death on Chicago's South Side and in the south suburbs. The Ralph Lauren Center will help UChicago Medicine bride gaps in everything from cancer education and prevention to early detection and diagnosis, and connecting patients with treatment and survivorship support the release said.