New joint cancer center plans to raise $200 million

A joint cancer center created by three of Cincinnati’s largest cancer care providers and research institutions will get off the ground with up to $60 million in seed money committed during the next five years by the founding institutions — Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and University Hospital. In addition, UC has  committed to raising as much as $200 million for the center, a job that newly appointed Kathryn Cascella will largely be taking on. Cascella’s a former director of finance for the Hamilton County Republican Party, where her job description included nothing less than being responsible for generating the party’s entire revenue stream and leading all fundraising. Dr. David Stern, dean of UC’s College of Medicine, says “She has the right mix of strategic foresight and infectious energy” to cultivate major funding for the collaborative cancer effort.

The three institutions reached an agreement several months ago to set up the center to coordinate cancer care from childhood to adulthood in southern Ohio and beyond. The seed money is going toward building and upgrading facilities and new clinical programs, attracting top doctors and scientists and speeding research. One long-term goal is to be designated a “Comprehensive Cancer Center” by the National Cancer Institute, a multi-year effort.

Writer: David Holthaus
Source: Amanda Harper, University of Cincinnati