A Beacon of Hope

The U’s Huntsman Cancer Institute is expanding its reach and caring for more people than ever. It recently opened a new 220,000-square-foot facility on the north end of its campus, and it has plans for expansion with a new facility in Utah County. 

The $178 million Kathryn F. Kirk Center for Comprehensive Cancer Care and Women’s Cancers opened this past spring and increases the cancer hospital’s inpatient capacity by nearly 50 percent, adding exam rooms, surgical suites, screening facilities, and other services. With the new addition, Huntsman Cancer Institute grows to more than a million square feet of state-of-the-art cancer care and research space. 

“Today, as we open this wonderful expansion, we recommit to providing the world’s best in compassionate, science-based care for our patients,” Mary Beckerle, CEO of Huntsman Cancer Institute, said at the opening celebration this past May.

The cancer center raised more than $128 million in philanthropic support for this expansion. The major donors include the Spencer and Kristen Kirk family, the Huntsman Foundation, Karen and Scott Smith, The Sigma Chi International Fraternity, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and dōTERRA. More than 275 individual gifts helped make the building possible.

At the opening celebration, Spencer Kirk BA’85 MBA’87, son of Kathryn F. Kirk BS’47, spoke about losing his mother to breast cancer and wanting to honor her legacy. “She spent her life in service to her family and her community,” he said. “That spirit guides our family, and we are honored to help further the mission of Huntsman Cancer Institute. The Kathryn F. Kirk Center is only possible because of a community of donors who joined our family to make this comprehensive cancer center a reality.”

In addition to this significant expansion, the new comprehensive cancer center in Utah County will address the monumental population growth in Utah and reduce the travel burden many patients face. The U announced a $75 million matching gift from the Huntsman family for the expansion, the largest single donation from the Huntsman Foundation, initiating a call to the community to raise the matching support needed to move the project forward.