$5M donation from the Hospira Foundation will support research in cancer care, prevention and treatment

January 18, 2016

The Hospira Foundation has donated $5 million to the University of Chicago Medicine to create the Hospira Foundation Professorship in Oncology. This position significantly bolsters the University's capacity to conduct pioneering research in cancer.

The Hospira Foundation Professor will be a key leader in advancing the University of Chicago Medicine's cancer research objectives, which include discovering new and better therapies capable of transforming the body's ability to overcome cancer, creating genetically precise treatments that target patients' cancer cells, and developing a new standard of patient care that delivers a higher quality of life.

The Hospira Foundation was the philanthropic affiliate of Hospira, Inc., which was acquired by Pfizer Inc. in September 2015. Until its acquisition, Hospira was the world's leading provider of injectable drugs and infusion technologies.

"This generous gift from the Hospira Foundation will carry on Hospira's legacy and boost the University's efforts to make a difference in the lives of those with cancer," said Kenneth S. Polonsky, MD, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Chicago and Dean of Biological Sciences Division and Pritzker School of Medicine.

"The pace of progress in cancer is tremendous, and we're making enormous strides in understanding the biology of these diseases and improving cancer care. Our focus is to use this understanding to find better ways to treat these diseases," said Michelle Le Beau, PhD, Director of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center. "This donation will help us have a greater impact, by developing better ways to prevent, detect, and treat this disease, ultimately improving outcomes for patients worldwide."