Kansas City, MO – A Texas family with ties to Kansas City has donated $10 million to the University of Kansas Cancer Center. Roy Jensen heads the center and says the money will go towards hiring a new chair of radiation oncology.
"This gift, I think, is sort of the capstone of that recruitment process and has really allowed us to recruit an outstanding candidate," Jensen said.
Jensen says bolstering radiation research and patient care is important because about half of all cancer patients need radiation therapy.
He also says the gift from Joe and Jean Brandmeyer will help support the center's efforts to become a National Cancer Institute. The designation process involves submitting a federal grant in two years, fundraising about $70 million more dollars, and filling approximately 25 other research positions.
The Brandmeyer's donation marks the largest individual gift made to the center, next to Annette Bloch's gift of $20 million last year.
Joe and Jean Brandmeyer are former Kansas City-area residents. They founded Enturia, a manufacturer of disposable antiseptic applicators for hospitals.
Funding for health care coverage on KCUR has been provided by the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City.
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