Walker Foundation Pledges $1 Million to UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute — Funds Will Support New Radiation Oncology Center
| LITTLE ROCK — The Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation pledged $1 Million to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
The funds will support the Cancer Institute’s new Radiation Oncology Center, which opened in July.
“We are humbled by the decades-long support of the Walker Foundation — a relationship that has helped elevate UAMS in becoming a first-class provider of care in our region,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. “Willard and Pat Walker’s generosity was inspiring, and, as seen with the Radiation Oncology Center, their legacy of philanthropy continues to benefit many Arkansans.”
The UAMS Radiation Oncology Center, a $65 million, 58,000-square-foot structure at 3900 W. Capitol Ave. in Little Rock, was built to accommodate three new linear accelerators that customize radiation delivery based on the type and stage of a patient’s cancer. It is the only cancer center in Arkansas to offer Ethos Adaptive Therapy, a unique form of X-ray radiation that adapts to daily changes in a tumor’s shape and position over the course of treatment.
“The Radiation Oncology Center is providing the most advanced cancer treatment available, offering patients world-class, specialized care to beat cancer,” said Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., UAMS vice chancellor and director of the Cancer Institute. “This facility would not be possible without donations from philanthropic organizations such as the Walker Foundation, which has offered instrumental support to UAMS for many years.”
The Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation supports charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational endeavors in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. The Walker Foundation strives to provide funding to organizations that they believe will benefit most from the foundation’s support while honoring the legacy of Pat and Willard.
“The growth of UAMS has been impressive, and the Walker Foundation is honored to support its mission to provide quality health care to all Arkansans,” said Mandy Macke, executive director of the Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation. “The opening of the Radiation Oncology Center is a truly extraordinary step in cancer treatment in Arkansas, and we are certain UAMS will continue to strive in offering new, cutting-edge cancer treatments.”
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.###