$1 Million Gift to Establish Endowed Chair at UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
| LITTLE ROCK – A $1 million donation to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will be used to further cancer research and honor a longtime physician. The donor asked to remain anonymous.
The donation was presented to the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute to establish the Laura F. Hutchins, M.D. Distinguished Chair for the Division of Hematology/Oncology. Proceeds from the Cancer Institute’s 2012 Gala for Life fundraiser and private donations provided about $500,000 in additional funding for the chair.
“Dr. Hutchins has devoted her entire career to UAMS and the people of Arkansas. This generous gift will ensure that the standard of excellence she has established in the UAMS Division of Hematology/Oncology will continue for many years to come,” said Peter Emanuel, M.D., Cancer Institute director and a professor in the UAMS College of Medicine.
UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., said the donation will bring hope to many patients in Arkansas and beyond, adding, “It is gifts such as these that enable UAMS to stay at the forefront of medical treatment and research.”
An endowed distinguished chair is established with gifts of at least $1.5 million. The chairholder, to be named later, will use the interest proceeds for research, teaching or service activities.
After graduating from the UAMS College of Medicine, Hutchins completed her internship, residency and a fellowship in hematology/oncology at UAMS. She joined the faculty of the UAMS College of Medicine in 1983.
Hutchins has treated thousands of cancer patients throughout her career, with a focus on breast cancer, melanoma and brain cancer. Her extensive research background focuses primarily on breast cancer and melanoma, and she has been nationally recognized for her work in developing technology to support physicians, scientists and patients involved in clinical trials research.
Hutchins holds the Virginia Clinton Kelley Endowed Chair for Clinical Breast Cancer Research. She is a professor of medicine in the College of Medicine’s Division of Hematology/Oncology, where she also served as division director from 1998 until September 2013.
In addition, Hutchins has served as director of clinical research at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute since 1998 and is the recipient of numerous clinical, teaching and research honors and awards.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###