History of Cancer Services at Loyola
About Us

The development of a cancer center at Loyola University Medical Center began in 1983 when a planning process was initiated to create a nationally recognized cancer center to serve Chicago and the surrounding region. The initial objectives of this proposed cancer center were to provide state-of-the-art treatment and cancer prevention, to serve as a center for excellence and leadership in clinical and laboratory research and to encourage advances in cancer research to be applied rapidly in the clinical treatment setting.

In 1984, Richard I. Fisher, M.D., was recruited from the National Cancer Institute to become director of the section of hematology/oncology, and to initiate development of the cancer center. In addition to the recruitment of more than 20 senior faculty members to the section of hematology/oncology, Loyola recruited department chairs and division directors with strong interests in oncology for all of the surgical subspecialty departments, and the departments of Pathology, Radiotherapy, and Microbiology and Immunology.

The Oncology Institute was created as part of the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (Stritch) to provide a matrix structure to coordinate and integrate the development of a truly multi-disciplinary cancer research and clinical program. Its directive was to develop a plan and program for the establishment of a state-of-the-art cancer center facility on the Loyola University Medical Center campus; integrate the provision of Loyola’s cancer clinical services; and develop a nationally recognized basic science and clinical research cancer program.

Loyola University provided $30 million of capital funding to support construction of the 125,000 square foot Loyola University Cancer Center, which was completed in September 1994. This facility was renamed the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center in October 1996, in honor of Archbishop of Chicago Joseph Cardinal Bernardin. The cancer center provides clinic facilities to house all of Loyola’s outpatient cancer care, 34 research laboratories to expand the basic/translational science research base, space for core facilities, offices for all faculty engaged full-time in cancer related activities, and administrative and educational space for campus and community outreach activities.

In addition to construction of these state of the art facilities, Stritch provided faculty positions to the Oncology Institute to establish the critical mass for the Cancer Center’s three basic science research programs: Cancer Immunology, Hematologic Malignancy and Skin Cancer Research. These faculty have been extremely successful in developing new approaches to in the investigation of this complex disease, and in competing for and receiving peer-reviewed funding since joining the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center.