The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center today announced that UH alumnus and philanthropist businessman Jay H. Shidler has donated $1 million to start the Director’s Innovation Fund to allow UH Cancer Center Director Dr. Naoto T. Ueno to advance his vision for the lifesaving research being done at the center.
This is a critical time to invest in Hawaiʻi’s UH Cancer Center as it moves into its next phase as an advanced research and patient care facility with the opening next year of its Hoʻōla Early Phase Clinical Research Center. Cancer diagnoses in the U.S. are expected to surpass 2 million for the first time ever this year.
In Hawaiʻi, each year an average of 7,393 local residents are diagnosed with invasive cancer, leading to 2,393 deaths. The state faces unique challenges because of its remote location and diverse population with significant Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian communities, which are often overrepresented for cancer risk. The UH Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center focused on researching and serving these ethnic groups.
“Our mission is saving lives, from breakthrough testing and treatments, through research, to making sure that each patient who has cancer is able to receive the highest-quality treatment right here in the islands,” said Ueno. “This generous support from Mr. Shidler will make a major impact toward providing innovative care for cancer patients and the community through multiple new initiatives.”
This generous support from Mr. Shidler will make a major impact toward providing innovative care for cancer patients and the community.
—Naoto Ueno
Shidler, BBA ’68, an alumnus of the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, said he’s been impressed with Ueno’s vision to advance cancer research and development of new treatments in Hawaiʻi and to foster greater community engagement with the Cancer Center.
“The leadership skills and experience Dr. Ueno brings to Hawaiʻi are crucial as the Cancer Center prepares to offer early-phase clinical trial treatments to patients next year, and I want to ensure he has the cutting-edge resources needed to make it a success,” Shidler said. “Cancer impacts so many lives here and we’re fortunate to have Dr. Ueno and the UH Cancer Center’s top-notch researchers working to save those lives.”
For more than 50 years, the UH Cancer Center has focused on world-class research, education and patient care in partnership with its health partners in the Hawaiʻi Cancer Consortium. It holds the distinction of being one of only 72 research organizations in the U.S. designated by the National Cancer Institute and the only one in the Pacific, a mark of excellence and rigor.
Advancing treatments, research and community outreach
Its Early Phase Clinical Research Center, named Hoʻōla (healing) and scheduled to be completed next year, for the first time, will allow some cancer patients to receive cutting-edge treatments through early-stage clinical trials, tailored for different racial and ethnic groups, without having to leave the Islands.
A portion of the funds will be used to purchase advanced imaging and analysis equipment to improve the accuracy of cancer drug screening, to accelerate the development of new treatments, and to hire skilled technicians and researchers to ensure that the cutting-edge research being done at the UH Cancer Center can quickly translate to patient care. Funds will also be used to strengthen the UH Cancer Center’s community outreach.
Ueno also plans to work with the John A. Burns School of Medicine on programs to grow more oncologists locally to help alleviate a chronic shortage in Hawaiʻi, develop culturally appropriate practices, and erase disparities in access to cancer care on the neighbor islands.
Continued support for Ueno’s vision
This is Shidler’s second gift to the UH Cancer Center this year. His previous gift of $100,000 has helped the center increase public awareness of its work as it moves toward Hoʻōla’s.
“We are incredibly grateful for the confidence and trust Jay Shidler has shown in Dr. Ueno and the work being done by the excellent researchers at the UH Cancer Center,” said Tim Dolan, UH vice president of advancement and CEO of the UH Foundation. “The UH Cancer Center is an unsung resource for everyone who lives in Hawaiʻi and we’re excited to see Dr. Ueno’s vision come to fruition.”
