Sentara Healthcare is honored to announce that it has received a $3 million philanthropic gift from the Hillier Ignite Foundation to create the Luke Hillier Cancer Research Alliance at the Sentara Brock Cancer Center in Norfolk, Virginia. This new entity will enable further collaboration between Sentara and its longtime partners, Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) and Virginia Oncology Associates (VOA), and will significantly advance oncology research and cancer care in the greater Hampton Roads community. It will provide expanded access to innovative clinical trials, translational research and biospecimen banking opportunities. There also will be an added focus on health outcomes research to address health disparities in our community.
“The Luke Hillier Cancer Research Alliance will be transformational in how our physicians contribute to oncology research and collaborate on innovative treatment options,” said Howard P. Kern, president and CEO of Sentara Healthcare. “For cancer patients and the broader community, it will expand opportunities to participate in multi-institutional clinical trials with the National Cancer Institute and research cooperatives around the country. The Research Alliance will increase capabilities for early detection and prevention, especially for those populations at increased risk for cancer. We are deeply grateful for Luke Hiller and the Hillier Ignite Foundation’s generosity and commitment to our community.”
The name of the alliance honors local businessman and philanthropist, Luke Hillier, founder of Hillier Ignite and executive chairman of the board for ADS, Inc.
“I am honored to join my name with Joan Brock and other community philanthropists who recognize the need for and importance of providing the best care possible for cancer patients in our region,” said Luke Hillier.
“It is a wonderful feeling to be able to make this gift to the community. Cancer has and continues to touch the lives of so many in our region, and this new research alliance will expand the use of clinical trials in our area and provide hope to thousands. Cancer has touched my own life in the most painful way, and anything I can do to help others who have or are going through the same thing, I will.”
The Sentara Brock Cancer Center treats 700 – 1,000 patients daily and has provided an unprecedented level of collaboration under one roof since it opened in June 2020. The Luke Hillier Cancer Research Alliance is the latest addition to the many new services the Sentara Brock Cancer Center offers the region.
Sentara Healthcare, VOA and EVMS share a combined vision for oncology care in the Hampton Roads community, which includes multidisciplinary care, expanded community access to clinical trials, improved outcomes by strengthening the capacity for advanced cancer care close to home, and coordinated survivorship programs to help patients transition to life after diagnosis. Through the Sentara Brock Cancer Center, cancer patients, survivors and their families benefit from increased access to cancer resources and services, as well as expanded screening, awareness and prevention efforts, treatment options, and survivorship care.
More information on the Luke Hillier Cancer Research Alliance can be found on our website here.