A glimpse of your generosity
Emergency Department Construction Ongoing — Patients To Be Rerouted To Fountain Circle Entrance
A glimpse of your generosity
Philanthropic support to The University of Tennessee Medical Center Cancer Institute directly impacts the lives of our patients and the families we serve. In 2023, close to 4,000 philanthropic contributions totaling $1.15 million were made to the Cancer Institute supporting nineteen gift funds focused on patient assistance, research, education, equipment, and program-related funds. Only through collaboration of expert care and generous philanthropic support can we create a unified connection and purpose. As we reflect on the 2023 philanthropic support for the Cancer Institute, we are grateful to our donors and their investment to support our mission to serve through healing, education, and discovery.
The Cancer Research Endowment was created in 2015 with funds raised in a philanthropic campaign led by community leaders Steve and Becky South. Now named the Bettie and Oscar Bragg Cancer Research Endowment, and through the generosity of hundreds of donors, this growing endowment continues to fund meaningful cancer research at The University of Tennessee Medical Center and the UT Graduate School of Medicine for the fourth year in a row in 2023. In 2023, six research grants were awarded, totaling $200,000. We are truly grateful for the generosity of our donors and their investment in cancer research at the medical center.
Research is an important part of the medical center’s mission. The Cancer Institute also received a generous $300,000 corporate philanthropic gift from Axle Logistics in 2023 to establish an Investigator Initiated Cancer Research Coordinator. The research coordinator position will support the faculty and clinicians with additional resources to implement, manage, and execute projects per local and federal regulations without disruption in clinical responsibilities. In addition, the new position will ensure that projects are initiated and completed in a reasonable amount of time so data findings can then be generated, analyzed, and disseminated out through national and international conference presentations, submitted to scientific journals, circulated out to our other health community partners and stakeholders, and implemented into practice when applicable. The newly funded position is an asset to the Cancer Institute.
Another example of generous corporate support is Team Chad, an organization that was inspired by friends of Chad Welch, who was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in 2005, and lost his battle with cancer in 2007. Team Chad has been a steady supporter of the Cancer Institute since 2018 by providing financial assistance to cancer patients in need. To date, they’ve given over $175,000 to support the Stephens Cancer Care Gift Fund, which continues to be one of our most impactful patient assistance funds. Donations to the Stephens Cancer Care fund ultimately helped over 400 patients and their families in 2023, assisting with critical needs like transportation, housing and medication for patients and their families.
The Breast Health Outreach Program (BHOP) continues to make a difference in the lives of patients in our community, thanks to generous philanthropic support. For the ninth straight year, UTMC received a generous gift of $10,000 from Rick McGill Airport Toyota to support our BHOP. Their generosity continues to help essential breast health services in 21 East Tennessee Counties. In 2023, a total of 4,218 East TN women received a screening mammogram through the MMU. Of those, 441 mammograms were provided at no cost, eliminating all personal financial concern to the women screened. Screenings on the MMU resulted in the diagnosis of 22 breast cancers last year, which would have gone undetected without this service.