The University opened its doors April 4 to a new developmental saga - the Emily Couric Cancer Center. With the intention of providing better care to its patients, the center has been committed to studying the disease from a clinical perspective. To do so, the center has revolutionized how it has approached the study and treatment of cancer.
"The cancer center was built for the future," said Dr. Peyton Taylor, a medical school professor and physician who oversaw the center's construction. "[It] was designed for the development of health care."
The center strives to keep the balance between using cutting-edge technology and sustaining patient-focused treatment. Taking a tour of the center reveals clear hallways and walkways, as much of the treatment and heavy machinery is hidden in its interior. Instead the center is filled with wide windows and "vined" rooms that are intended to allow patients and family to ponder and talk.
The center drew on opinions from patient surveys and expectations and was built through collaboration between patients, architects and administrators. "The center was a community effort," said Dee Eadie, the center's administrator and associate director of the center. "One of the things that patients wanted was more access to light as an avenue for healing," she said.
The center also dedicates its efforts to clinical research, working in close collaboration with cancer facilities throughout the nation.
"The center is trying hard to integrate clinical and lab research," Taylor said, noting that it combines clinical and basic science research.
Taylor said the "real power" of the center lies in the collaboration between research projects, but it also serves a pivotal role in the lives of its patients.
"The center has become a part of the day-to-day goings of patient lifestyles," Eadie said. "It is the crown jewel of the Health System."
University students are also connected to the center, both through philanthropy and their hope for its future. Scott Karr, development director for cancer programs, said donations from student groups across Grounds have been very influential. "The philantropic funds contribute to health benefits and improve lives of patients, and events including the Engineering Pi Miler, Shootout for Cancer, ZETA Run for Life and Sigma Nu Xanadu have helped the cause," he said. "We are delighted to have them working for a good cause."
Students are looking forward to the development of the center throughout their college career. "I hope to work in nanomedicine, and I'm hoping to see a lot of progress in this center and what it has to offer," first-year Engineering student Ben Wolf said.
Fellow first-year Engineering student Mustapha Allanah said he was similarly optimistic about the center's upcoming years. "I'm happy that U.Va. is making such great strides, and I look forward to getting to see its improvements in the coming years," he said.
These students' attitudes are appropriate, as the center's focus is not merely on the present. In Taylor's words, "The center is built for the future"
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