The James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville is dedicated to finding the answers to cancer.

We opened in 1981 with a $12 million gift from the James Graham Brown Foundation and the citizens of Louisville with a mission of relieving the pain and suffering caused by cancer in Kentucky. The building was donated to the University of Louisville in 1987.

In 1999, John Shumaker, then president of the university, made a commitment to creating a center that would improve cancer care in the region and become one of the nation’s preeminent cancer centers. The belief was, and continues to be, that the citizens of Kentucky deserve world-class cancer treatment. No resident should feel compelled to leave Kentucky to seek a level of care not available in the state.

Since 1999, the James Graham Brown Cancer Center has enjoyed a period of remarkable growth in both its clinical and research programs:

Strong multidisciplinary clinical programs have been developed, providing a team-focused approach to cancer care for the citizens of Kentucky. These programs have been extended into several communities throughout the state in an emphasis on providing outreach to underserved populations.

The Kentucky Cancer Program has become a national leader in providing cancer education. This  premier state-funded cancer prevention education program is based at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center and the University of Kentucky’s Markey Cancer Center. Through a network of 12 regional offices, KCP’s services and programs are available in all parts of Kentucky.  (Western Kentucky is covered by the Brown Cancer Center’s KCP and Eastern Kentucky is served through Markey Cancer Center’s KCP.) Each office is run by a Cancer Control Specialist, who is a catalyst for change in his or her region.

Since 1999, the JGBCC has pursued a strategic plan for the development of strong translational research, focused particularly on drug discovery and development.

The center’s strategic plan and the recruitment of new faculty have placed heavy emphasis on investigational areas that will lead to new approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. This emphasis on translation is now paying off. Cancer Center scientists have several novel cancer treatments in early phase clinical trials with more than a dozen others in preclinical stages. Importantly, there also has been a strong emphasis on prevention.

The focus on “patient-oriented” research has created a collaborative environment in which both basic scientists and clinical investigators place a premium on work that will have an impact on cancer prevention and treatment.

The growth of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center has been made possible with strong University of Louisville and philanthropic support. Additionally, the development of the Kentucky Research Challenge Trust Fund, commonly known as “Bucks for Brains,” has played an important role in providing funds for the recruitment of talented investigators, creating 22 new endowed chairs.

Support by the James Graham Brown Foundation, the Humana Foundation and Kentucky Lung Cancer Research Fund has also provided resources critical to our growth.This has resulted in nationally recognized research programs that have direct implications for cancer patients in Kentucky.

Research grants have grown from less than $1 million in 1999 to more than $50 million in 2011. Because of the specific needs of the state and region, the center has identified tobacco-related cancers as a major focus and is exploring several very promising approaches to solving the problem.