The Cancer Center needs support to enable the growth of clinical and research activities through access to state-of-the-art space, facilities, and equipment and to build new world-class cancer research and treatment programs. We need new modern research facilities to meet the needs of our basic/translational researchers along with their colleagues across the HSC and UNM. Expanded space will also allow the Cancer Center to grow its capacity for workforce training programs along with the basic/translational, population-based, and clinical research required to remain an elite NCI-designated cancer center nationally. 

$4.5 million of philanthropic funding is required to realize this vision. 

Endowed chairs and professorships are the highest academic honor that can be bestowed by a university and are key to the recruitment and retention of world-class experts in clinical and research settings. In an increasingly competitive job market, professorships and chairs, which offer compensation and research support, can be a game-changer. They support faculty recruitment, cancer research, technology, and equipment investments and are supported entirely by philanthropic funding. 

$4.5 million of philanthropic funding is needed to fulfill this continuing priority. 

Reducing the burden of cancer in New Mexico requires ongoing research to discover and overcome the genetic, environmental, social, and behavioral factors that contribute to the distinct patterns of cancer incidence, mortality, and disparity in the multiethnic populations of New Mexico. Through our COE, the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center works with partners across the state to make cancer prevention, screening, treatment, and survivorship services more accessible. Philanthropic funding for the COE would support the entire continuum of cancer care from education to prevention, early detection, screening, diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, and survivorship in underserved communities. Support is inclusive of mobile units to serve New Mexicans through our state. Additionally, the COE requires bilingual patient navigators who can also address care-related financial challenges for the diverse and rural populations the Cancer Center serves. 

$4.5 million of philanthropic funding is needed to extend the impact of our COE.

Our mission includes educating and diversifying the next generation of cancer research and healthcare professionals. We rely on philanthropic support to support:   

• Launching new training programs focused on cancer research scholarship and training experiences in population science 

• Continuing to engage diverse communities with summer internships for students considering a career in science through the CURE program 

• Launching a post-doctoral fellow-to-faculty program to assist post-doctoral fellows into tenure-track faculty positions in the UNM Schools and Colleges 

• Continuing education funds across the health care workforce 

$9 million of philanthropic support will fund this key priority. 

The highest quality care means providing the right treatments in the right order, with a customized plan using the most state-of-the-art tools available to ensure the highest-quality care. Uniquely in New Mexico, our cancer patients have access to clinical trials based on the latest scientific research. The Cancer Center also provides robust survivorship services to ensure seamless care in remission as more individuals survive the disease. Our funding needs include:  

• Support for our Clinical Trials Office to ensure patients are aware of trials available to them along with clinical and administrative support  

• Replacing worn-out state-of-the-art equipment for radiation oncology, tomotherapy, and bone marrow transplant  

• The Survivorship Program, which ensures patients have all the resources they need once in remission wherever they are in New Mexico 

• Patient and family support services to provide accommodation, transportation, meals, psychological support, and additional services needed to access our world-class cancer care  

• Funding for increased access to cancer care throughout New Mexico regardless of location or financing 

$9 million of philanthropic funding is needed to fulfil these important initiatives. 

UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center scientists are working diligently every day to discover the causes and cures for cancer. Delivery of our cancer programs is conducted through basic/translational, population-based, and clinical research, as well as shared resources. Philanthropic support can help to provide vital, life-saving cancer research through: 

• Pilot grants providing scientists with necessary funds to develop new approaches in cancer research 

• Research, recruitment, and laboratory setup: Each new researcher typically needs $1 to $1.5 million for their lab, staffing, equipment, and tools.  

• Shared resources such as human capital, services, technologies, and the purchase and maintenance of equipment  

$13.5 million of philanthropic funding is needed for this important work. 

• Pilot grants providing scientists with necessary funds to develop new approaches in cancer research 

• Research, recruitment, and laboratory setup: Each new researcher typically needs $1 to $1.5 million for their lab, staffing, equipment, and tools.  

• Shared resources such as human capital, services, technologies, and the purchase and maintenance of equipment  

$13.5 million of philanthropic funding is needed for this important work.