UH Cancer Center receives $2.5 million grant: expanding cancer care and research statewide
The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center announced on October 22 that it has received a $2.5 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to expand cancer care, clinical research and specialist training across Hawaiʻi through Ka ʻUmeke Lama. Launched in 2024 in partnership with the John A. Burns School of Medicine, the statewide initiative aims to reduce geographic barriers to cancer treatment, particularly for neighbor island and rural residents. The award follows a previous $1.2 million Helmsley grant that supported the launch of the Hoʻōla Early Phase Clinical Research Center.
A UH Cancer Center study found that Hawaiʻi residents spent at least $230 million on out-of-state cancer care from 2021 to 2023, highlighting the shortage of specialized treatment locally. The grant will fund Hawaiʻi's first medical oncology fellowship, allowing physicians to complete specialty training without leaving the state, and will expand the Cancer Care Access Program to improve patient navigation, referrals and clinical trial participation statewide. It will also strengthen precision oncology infrastructure, support genomic research focused on Hawaiʻi's diverse populations and expand multidisciplinary tumor registries.
UH Mānoa Chancellor Vassillis Symros said the support underscores the university's commitment as an R1 flagship institution to serving the health of the entire state. Cancer Center Director Naoto Ueno said the funding will address systemic barriers to care across Hawaiʻi. The center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 夏威夷大学癌症中心门前。图片来源：夏威夷大学新闻（UH News）官方发布
