UChicago Medicine gets $75M gift from AbbVie Foundation for cancer center

CHICAGO (CBS) — University of Chicago Medicine has received a $75 million donation from the nonprofit AbbVie Foundation to help fund the construction of the hospital’s new cancer center.
AbbVie, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing health inequities, made the donation to help fund the $815 million, 575,000-square foot cancer pavilion already under construction on the hospital’s Hyde Park campus.
Thanks to the donation, the facility will be named the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion when it opens in 2027.
“We are deeply honored by this generous donation, as it strengthens our commitment to advancing the health and vitality of the community — a core priority of our South Side-based institution,” University of Chicago president Paul Alivisatos said in a statement. “This significant contribution speaks to the confidence that the AbbVie Foundation has in UChicago as a pioneering medical institution dedicated to pursuing globally meaningful solutions to yet-unsolved challenges.”
UChicago Medicine first announced the facility in 2022. Billed as the first free-standing cancer facility in Illinois, construction began on the new building in September 2023 at the corner of 57th Street and Drexel Avenue, on what was previously a parking lot.
The cancer center will have 80 private beds, 90 exam rooms, a breast cancer center, and dedicated clinical trial spaces. It will have capacity for up to 200,000 outpatient visits and 5,000 inpatient admissions per year.
UChicago Medicine officials said it’s also intended to help address inequities in cancer treatment, to ensure more people have access to cancer screening, prevention, and treatment.
“This facility is not just about advancing scientific discovery, though that is certainly a key part of our mission. It’s about transforming how we deliver care, addressing the inequities that exist in cancer outcomes, and ensuring that everyone — no matter their background — has access to the most advanced treatments,” said Dr. Mark Anderson, executive vice president for medical affairs at UChicago Medicine.
In 2020, the AbbVie Foundation also donated $8 million to UChicago Medicine for its Liaisons in Care program, which hires healthcare workers to connect people in underserved South Side communities to health services and resources, and help them navigate the health care system.
“The AbbVie Foundation is honored to deepen our longstanding partnership with UChicago Medicine, which is rooted in our shared mission to advance health equity,” AbbVie Foundation president Claudia Carravetta said in a statement. “We are proud to contribute to this state-of-the-art facility, which will support UChicago Medicine’s efforts to accelerate access and innovations in cancer care, addressing inequities and creating a remarkable impact for patients in Chicago’s South Side community and around the world.”