The Livestrong Foundation has made a $50 million commitment to create and support the Livestrong Cancer Institutes of the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin.

The Livestrong Cancer Institutes will rethink the full range of cancer care from prevention to diagnosis, treatment and survivorship, all with a focus on the patient’s needs, values and preferences.

Decades of research and working one-on-one with cancer survivors and their families has given Livestrong an informed understanding of some of the largest challenges cancer patients face: chronic pain, loss of fertility, emotional distress, family instability, career impact and long-term financial hardships. We are bringing this knowledge and research to the Livestrong Cancer Institutes.

The Livestrong Cancer Institutes will:

• Identify and fill gaps in cancer diagnosis and treatment to establish universal standards and resources for patients and survivors
• Identify and serve cancer needs, especially among communities lacking access to care and support
• Engage the voices of people affected by cancer in the design and deployment of cancer care, education and research
• Develop best practices in cancer care and care delivery using a multidisciplinary team-based focus for each patient

With a home in the newly created Dell Medical School, the Livestrong Cancer Institutes have the advantage of starting from scratch, unencumbered by the rigid cultures and expensive infrastructures that prevent transformation.

The Goal

Our goal for the Livestrong Cancer Institutes is to create a comprehensive model that puts survivors’ needs above all else, from the medical to the emotional to the practical. This innovative model is intended to serve as an incubator. After its creation and implementation here in Austin, we see tremendous opportunities to replicate the Institutes model in other cities across the country and across the world.

In other words: The Livestrong Cancer Institutes will radically improve people’s cancer experience and quality of life; revolutionize how we treat cancer; and reinvent the way cancer patients are cared for.

Next Steps

As a nonprofit that relies on donations, Livestrong is always grateful to its generous donors, volunteers, and other well-valued supporters. For nineteen years now, we have been leading the way in patient-centered cancer support. As we continue moving forward, Livestrong remains committed to patient-centered, revolutionary cancer care.