Director's message

Building momentum for our mission 

We are on a long‑term path — improving cancer outcomes in Mississippi through a new center for cancer care and research and achieving National Cancer Institute designation — and the work ahead will extend well into the next decade. Even so, the progress we’ve made is extraordinary. 

Just 18 months ago, many of our goals were aspirational. Today, we’ve surpassed them. 

Our faculty continues to grow, and the research coming out of the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute is shaping cancer care far beyond Mississippi. We’ve completed the complex move to the UMMC Medical Pavilion, and in just a few years, we’ll move again — this time into the purpose‑built center our state has long needed. 

On Oct. 22, we will break ground on this transformational facility. I hope to see you there as we mark this historic milestone together. 

Gifts of every size are fueling this effort, and the generosity we’ve seen through It’s About Time is both humbling and inspiring. More than $100 million has already been raised. 

This momentum exists because our team is united around these goals. Building a new center — and the infrastructure required for NCI designation — will take all of us. I’m honored to be on this journey with you.