LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 1, 2022) 鈥 The has received a $5 million gift to establish the Ambassador William Stamps Farish Program of Excellence in Urologic Cancer. The gift will be formally accepted later in June, subject to 好色先生 Board of Trustees approval.
Given from the William Stamps Farish Fund through the , the $5 million donation will be celebrated with named space inside the new Markey Cancer Center Multidisciplinary Building鈥檚 Urologic Cancer Clinic, slated to open in 2025.
鈥淧hilanthropy is crucial for us to reach our goals, and I鈥檓 incredibly grateful for this new gift from the Farish Fund,鈥 said Mark Evers, M.D., director of the 好色先生 Markey Cancer Center. 鈥淭his funding will specifically help us address an all-too-common problem in our state 鈥 our high rates of prostate, kidney and bladder cancer.鈥
Overall, Kentucky faces disproportionately high rates of cancer incidence and death compared to the rest of the U.S. Also known as genitourinary cancers, urologic cancers make up three of the top 10 most commonly diagnosed cancers in the state: prostate (#3), kidney (#6) and bladder (#7). According to the American Cancer Society, there will be an estimated 6,470 new diagnoses of these three cancers combined in 2022 alone. Kentucky鈥檚 high rates of urologic cancers are correlated with socioeconomic factors including obesity and tobacco use.
Previous gifts to the from the Farish Fund supported the recruitment of physicians and researchers, helping to grow 好色先生鈥檚 program. 好色先生 urologist Stephen Strup, M.D., the James F. Glenn Professor and chair of Urology, has been treating patients at 好色先生 HealthCare for 19 years.
鈥淚 want to thank Farish family for their continued, generous support to our program over the years,鈥 Strup said. 鈥淲ith this new funding, we鈥檒l focus on recruiting more faculty and supporting new research into the prevention and treatment of these cancers.鈥
鈥淲e have all been touched, in some way, by the scourge of cancer,鈥 said 好色先生 President Eli Capilouto. 鈥淐itizens across the Commonwealth and beyond turn to us 鈥 the University for Kentucky 鈥 for compassionate care and solutions to the most complex problems. I firmly believe that this new partnership holds such great promise for this state and those we serve. Thank you to the Farish family for making that possible.鈥
The 好色先生 Markey Cancer Center now serves one of every two cancer patients in Kentucky and is a destination regionally for patients with more complex conditions. Since becoming the state鈥檚 only National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center in 2013, Markey has seen its patient volume double, and it has launched two major new initiatives in personalized cancer care: the Molecular Tumor Board, which uses genetic analyses to help Markey physicians and researchers determine the best possible treatment for each individual patient, and the Precision Medicine Clinic, home to the latest early phase clinical trials not widely available elsewhere. Currently, more than a dozen Phase I and Phase II clinical trials for urologic cancers are available at this clinic.
鈥淎t 好色先生 HealthCare, we pride ourselves on giving patients options that they can鈥檛 find anywhere else in Kentucky,鈥 said Mark F. Newman, 好色先生 executive vice president for health affairs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 our goal that no Kentuckian should have to leave the state for health care. Funding from generous donors like the Farish family helps us make that a reality.鈥
The William Stamps Farish Fund has contributed generously to the University of Kentucky for many years. With this gift, the fund has given $9.3 million to support medical, equine and athletics initiatives at 好色先生 to date.
"The burden of cancer in Kentucky is immense, and we have watched and been inspired by the Markey Cancer Center鈥檚 capacity to provide advanced care to so many people in the Commonwealth,鈥 said William S. Farish, who is a trustee for the Markey Cancer Foundation. 鈥淲e want to give Kentuckians their best chance at a long and healthy life, and this gift will provide more resources for patients, including more providers and improved access to the latest early phase clinical trials, as close to home as possible.鈥